| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
I said it earlier: CHENG SHIN!! | ||
| Crusty |
If they go to Cheng Shit tires, finding less traction will be no problem. | ||
| Trojan |
Rossi is testing yet another Ducati chassis at jerez today. It is allegedly a 'delta box' style copy of a Yamaha frame where the engine is not a stressed frame member (if rumours are to be beleived). What happens if this doesn't work either? Will Ducati/Philip Morris continue to pour millions into the bottomless money pit that is the Ducati MotoGP project, or will they take their sponsorship money somewhere they know they can win (WSB perhaps?). How long will Ducati continue to support the current technical team in the Moto GP project before they try to poach someone from Yamaha/Honda? I'm pretty sure Rossi won't want to hang around too much longer if the bike doesn't improve either. Interesting times indeed..... | ||
| Jaimec |
Philip Morris USED to sponsor Yamaha. Yamaha currently doesn't HAVE a primary sponsor. Hmmmmmm... | ||
| Trojan |
I can't see Philip Morris/Marlboro abandoning Ducati completely, as they are now pretty synonmous with Ducati and Ferrari even without any corporate logos or branging on show. If they went to Yamaha and ran in the same plain red paintwork I don't think many people would associate it with Marlboro (which of course is the whole point of branding/Sponsorship). Because cigarrette advertising is so closely regulated now it would be unlikely that Yamaha could retrun to the 'old' Marlboro paint jobs of the Lawson era. I think it more likely that the focus for both Ducati and Philip Morris may increasingly switch to the new Superbike project, especially given the announcement today that they will run in Superstock in 2012 before returning to WSB in 2013 probably with a full factory team (and with Rossi's GP contract running out at the end of 2012 it would good for them to field him in WSB too of course). Yamaha have had no headline sponsor now for 15 months in both WSB and MotoGP, so must be getting increasingly desperate to try and catch a big paying backer! With the WSb team probably being farmed out lock stock and barrel to an anonymous Anglo-South African conglomerate they just need to find someone to finance their MotoGP presence for next year. | ||
| Jaimec |
Hard to believe that the last person to win a race on the 800cc Ducati who was NOT from Australia was Loris Capirossi... and that was only four years ago. Seems almost like ancient history. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
""Rossi is testing yet another Ducati chassis at jerez today. It is allegedly a 'delta box' style copy of a Yamaha frame where the engine is not a stressed frame member (if rumours are to be beleived). What happens if this doesn't work either?"" The real question would be.....Does Rossi still have the speed to make the new design competitive ??? I think not. | ||
| Bads1 |
Rossi, Actually was testing this last Thursday as well. It was a big improvement. Damn I can't find the artical ti link. | ||
| Bads1 |
Here it is. http://www.motomatters.com/news/2011/09/22/ducati_ s_secret_jerez_test_rossi_faster_.html | ||
| Jaimec |
Vagelis, your hatred of Rossi is legendary here. The simple fact is... once you take Stoner out of the equation, NOBODY has gone fast on the Ducati since 2008. At least now I understand why it always looked like Casey was on the ragged edge of control when he rode that thing... it's because he WAS. His "Bin it, or win it" mentality is apparently what is needed to go fast. At 30 years of age, Rossi is PROBABLY starting to feel less "immortal" than in the past. | ||
| Trojan |
The real question would be.....Does Rossi still have the speed to make the new design competitive ??? I think not. World class riders don't lose speed just because they change bikes. If you put Rossi on a Honda right now he would be up there fighting (and probably beating) Stoner and Pedrosa. Unfortunately the Ducati has been 'developed' down a blind alley for years and now has got to the point where it simply isn't competitive regardless of who is riding it. Hayden is also going slower this year than he did last year so the fault lies fairly and squarely at Ducatis feet rather than with Rossi. It would not surprise me to see a whole new design team installed at Ducati from next year if the latest modifications don't work. | ||
| Trojan |
FP1 and FP2 make the Motego GP look like it is going to be a Honda whitewash (earthquakes permitting of course!) with all 4 factory Hondas comfortably more than half a second faster than the first non Honda (Lorenzo). Thankfully we also have the main Moto2 event this weekend to rely on for some excitement and race action  | ||
| Jaimec |
And that is a Honda whitewash by default. | ||
| Blake |
Hayden in the mix? http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=46210 | ||
| Blake |
Good for Hopper. "John Hopkins will re-join the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team as a wild-card rider in Sepang for the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday 23rd October." Read more at http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=46198 | ||
| Blake |
Nice to see a BSB Champion-to-be showing himself capable in MotoGP. ![: ]](http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/clipart/proud.gif) | ||
| Blake |
Practice two results... http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?artic le=46212 Really interesting comments by the head of MotoGP and then Honda. Honda is not helping folks be fans, that's for sure. So incredibly petty. Although he wants a grid full of | ||
| Blake |
Amazing, and too cool! After getting back to the garage they told me that I More in the current RRW; see link above for subscription info. | ||
| Jaimec |
Blake: Honda's statement confirms what I've been saying all along: Factories can often write-off a lot of the expenses of racing to their R&D departments... the MotoGP series is the manufacturers biggest testing laboratory. The fact that people are willing to pay money to watch is just icing on the cake. Stick everyone on "the same bike" might improve the show, but kills the reasons the factories are in there in the first place. The factories have their pick of production-based racing series; most of the bigger countries have their own domestic series so they are QUITE as dependent on WSBK to test production motorcycle technologies. But MotoGP is unique, as far as I know, there are no national-level prototype racing series anywhere. I hope that Dorna, in their zeal to reduce costs and increase the size of the grid, doesn't forget the primary reason Honda, Yamaha, Ducati (and to a smaller extent, Suzuki) are there in the first place. | ||
| Jaimec |
<sigh> If only Ben could stay out of trouble at the start of the race like he did in Assen... | ||
| Blake |
Nice video of some of the race highlights. I agree about the benefit of prototype racing. I just don't like Honda's arrogance and their "I'll just take my ball and go home" attitude, though hey, I applaud their abandonment of any racing series. | ||
| Davegess |
That was a decent moto gp race. Maybe they need to take a page from the bull rings and start the race with the slow guys in the front. | ||
| Trojan |
That was a decent moto gp race. Was it? I thought it was a sham. Penalties for jump starts that gave no advanage (and the penalties ruined what was looking to be a good race for Dovi and Sic), and the only other 'excitement' was people running off track. It was always going to be a Honda victory and without the harsh penalties and run offs it would have been a Honda first 5 probably. I hope that Dorna get their way and have a grid full of reasonably equal machines by 2013, because the current format is doomed to failure, even if they do tinker with the rules and capacities for next year. In an interview with Paul Bird last week he let slip that he thinks there will only be 4 factory bikes in MotoGP by 2013. No further details were forthcoming but it will be interesting to see who he believes the 4 may be Moto2 may be Honda powered, but because everyone has the same motor that is almost irrelevant to the racing. Once again Moto2 showed what close and exciting racing can look like and made the MotoGP race look pretty pedestrian once more  | ||
| Blake |
Broken record. Don't care about moto poo. Never will. Rules is rules Matt. I do agree that the new AMA rule for jump starts is a better one. Looked like Rossi had found something and was eager to push. Looked like Ben was running well too. Pity they came together. Stoner's head shake incident was heroic. | ||
| Blake |
>>> made the MotoGP race look pretty pedestrian Anything is better than the Honda-Shuffle of moto poo. The Dovi vs Simo battle was darn exciting. Seeing Stoner and Spies slice through the field was inspiring. Lots of racers pushing the limits is never pedestrian; more epic in my mind. Check the shot of Stoner in turn 2 right-hander in the above highlights video, his tires kissing paint, helmet over turf, seemingly impossible lean angle, three other bikes right on his tail. Amazingly, he didn't blame anyone for the head-shake incident. | ||
| Blake |
That might be turn 1. Anyway at 7 seconds into the video. | ||
| Jaimec |
I noticed that too. Maybe the boy is growing up. I do wish the cameras spent more time on watching Spies slicing through the pack than on Pedrosa/Lorenzo, though. | ||
| Trojan |
Don't care about moto poo. Never will. Rules is rules Matt. I do agree that the new AMA rule for jump starts is a better one. Rules may be rules, but a little discretion in applying them isn't too much to ask from a sport that just seems intent on killing itself as publicly, quickly and painfully as possible. The organisers need to examine not just if a rider jumped a start, but if they actually benefitted from it. Not one of the 3 'false starters' gained any advanatge from their actions (except maybe Crutchlow by half a yard). In fact both Dovi and Sic braked after they set off, effectively giving them a slower start than the rest of the field. Dorna/FIM/Paul Butler are obviously oblivious to the parlous state of MotoGP right now an think that the public will accept poor decisions on top of poor racing for as long as they see fit to dole it out to us. I am really beginning to hope that MotoGP decides to fall on its sword sooner rather than later these days. Epic is a big word and certainly isn't a view shared by many about MotoGP in current times. As for Moto2. You may not like it but there is a growing fan base for the class and its riders that you can't ignore for ever It also offers genuinely close racing with a long list of potential podium finishers. Something that cannot be said of MotoGP... I'm pretty sure if there was a Texan rider in Moto2 you'd be watching a lot more closely | ||
| Blake |
There won't likely be one, and if not for MotoGP, moto 2 wouldn't even exist. I'd MUCH rather watch Supersport, and I'm no major fan of that. Daytona Sportbike is better. | ||
| Jaimec |
Based on Tony Elias, I'd say Moto2 is also a LOUSY feeder class for MotoGP... so exactly what purpose DOES it serve?? |
