| Author | Message | ||
     Jaimec |
Well, it's over. The rest of the season is pretty much all "Honda tracks." Hardly worth watching anymore. But DAMN Marquez is good, I'll give him that much. He's going to be tough to beat for the next several YEARS. | ||
| Trojan |
Marquez is always exciting to watch, which is just as well because the rest of that race was DULL DULL DULL  2 overtakes in the top 7 during the whole race after lap one doesn't make a great spectator experience, but at least the Ducatis put on their own show way back in 8th and 9th I suppose. Yamaha will be scratching their corporate heads now thinking who they can get to try and beat Marquez. One thing is for sure though, it isn't going to be Pol Espagaro, who they seem to be staking their future on | ||
| Jaimec |
They would be better served finding more horsepower in their engine AND delivering the seamless transmissions to their boys ASAP. | ||
| Trojan |
I don't think horsepower is the answer as this year at longer tracks Yamaha have matched Honda (nearly) for outright speed. The gearbox will help, but I think the fundamental reason for the differece at Laguna is tyres. Yamaha & Honda both seem to use their tyres better in different temperature ranges at at different tracks, so the Honda dominance at Laguna could be turned on its head at Indy. Some of the Hondas at Laguna (Bradl & Bautista) haven't run like that all year, and it surely can't just be because contracts are rumoured to be signed shortly can it. It will be interesting to see if they can continue this form or if they fall back to mid pack again next round. The single tyre rule is pretty much dictating designs these days and maybe it is time to open up the competition again? | ||
| Jaimec |
Keep the single tire, but change the manufacturer! That'll certainly reset the game. Dunlop provides tires for the underclass, and have SOME experience in the top class (they use to provide tires for Tech3). Pirelli certainly has experience with high-horsepower, near-prototype machinery. And, of course, there's always Michelin... | ||
| Trojan |
But if you just change tyre manufacturer adn keep the single tyre rule, it will still lead to stagnation in chassis design as tyres will dictate design (although the same would probably happen if you design a bike around your particular tyre characteristics like they used to in the 'good old days'). I can't see Dunlop wanting to get another bloody nose in MotoGP, and Michelin have been very quiet since they quit the top echelon. Pirelli WSBK spec tyres could make racing interesting though  | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt, you miss the point... It would shake things up because now all of the chassis manufacturers would be scrambling to design around the new tire. And just when everything's settled: CHANGE THE TIRE SUPPLIER AGAIN! As for Dunlop's bloody nose: That only happened because Michelin and Bridgestone were so much better. If there were no one to compare them to on the grid...? You'd have lots of bitching and moaning, but no one would have a real advantage because everyone would be on the same tire! The problem we're seeing is that Bridgestone has gotten TOO good at this, and ALL of the manufacturers have pretty much figured out the tires and built their bikes around them. If you don't keep the same tire manufacturer around for as long as Bridgestone has been in the game, things would be a lot more interesting. | ||
| Trojan |
trouble is, changing tyre supplier every couple of years would increase costs far more than the present mega expensive rule structure does already. new tyre...new chassis Maybe they should keep the tyre supplier/compound choice secret until the bikes arrive at the circuit every week? Then a representative from one team could pick from a hat the name of this weeks supplier. Dunlop one week, Michelin next.....The only problem then is the logistics of every tyre company having to attend every round just in case they are picked. Oops, back to the drawing board F1 has been made more exciting by having 'poor'' tyres that stuggle to last a few laps, and WSBK Pirellis are similar. maybe less grip means more excitingr acing after all? | ||
| Jaimec |
It would also force the factories to build a more "general" chassis that works with a wider range of tires so they don't HAVE to reengineer every time the tire manufacturer changes. | ||
| Jaimec |
We should name Cheng Shin as the official tire supplier for MotoGP. | ||
| Xb1125r |
michelin sucks, no grip go with pirelli anytime | ||
| Bads1 |
Looks like the BONER is coming back in a couple week. They are saying hes testing the new 2014 prototype. Since when does Honda bring someone back to just test. Sounds to me like Pedrosa may be gone in due time. | ||
| Jaimec |
I know. I read this article over at Soup and I LOVED the "Anti-Stoner" slant to it: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2013/Jul/130722a.ht m | ||
| Xb1125r |
its funny how many times the commentators kept commenting how good stoner was and marquez has been able to live up to the replacement. specially how no one has been able to ride the ducati and Honda like Stoner. i wonder if Marquez could win o the ducati too! | ||
| Xb1125r |
jaime the poage is blanc guess, he must e using a honda web editor | ||
| Bads1 |
Works for me. | ||
| Jaimec |
By the way, I'm not that impressed by Marquez's pass of Rossi in the corkscrew. When Rossi pulled that move on "The Moaner," there was GRAVEL in that spot!! | ||
| Jaimec |
http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/article/motogp-tire d-of-retirement-stoner-to-test-honda/ What I'm wondering is... why have STONER test the bike?? When he rode for Ducati, they went BACKWARDS developing their bike with his input. He continued to win because he could probably jump on a shopping cart and ride it into the Top 10. So what useful input could he possibly provide? | ||
| Trojan |
michelin sucks, no grip go with pirelli anytime On what evidence do you base this 'fact'?. MotoGP tyres are nothing like the ones we buy at the store you know, and Michelin were once THE best tyre supplier in GP racing (when they were allowed to make tyres specifically for each individual rider preference and ship them to the track overnight). Now we don't know how good a Michelin GP tyre would be, as they don't make one. At humble lowly club level we ran Pirelli, Metzeler and Michelin slick race tyres and they were pretty much as good as each other. Moving on.....why would Honda want Stoner back now that they have Marquez? Marc isd probably faster than Stoner already and is a Honda PR mans dream compared to Moaner. They also have a glut of upcoming young talent to choose from should they decide to throw Dani on the scrap heap next year, and current rumour suggests that Scott Redding will have a contract with Gresini that promises him a factory Honda in 2015 after a year on one of their 'customer' production bikes. That could just as easily be in the Repsol team as Gresini. Also Johnny Rea is being touted around the MotoGP paddock by HRC looking for a factory supported ride. Stoner should stay home and play with cars. | ||
| Xb1125r |
if stoner comes back it will be with a repsol honda, but i wish he would come back on a yamaha and take rossis bike.' now that would be awesome 3 time champ on 3 brands, it would place Stoner as the greatest ever | ||
| Trojan |
3 time champ on 3 brands, it would place Stoner as the greatest ever I think not..He would need to win another 6 world championships at least to wrest those laurels from Rossi (and even then I don't think he is in the same league as Hailwood, Spencer or Roberts either). i wish he would come back on a yamaha and take rossis bike. Yamaha already have more talent than they have bikes, so wouldn't need the aggravation of employing Stoner whatever the price. Why would Repsol Honda want Stoner now either now that they have Marquez? | ||
| Jaimec |
When Stoner wins the Moto2 and MotoGP championship in the SAME YEAR, I'll agree he has a shot at being one of the greatest ever. | ||
| Xb1125r |
Rossi is done, he got powned by crutchlow. rossi one all those champioships with a 500 a 500 is nowhere a 1000 | ||
| Jaimec |
Ya know, I shouldn't fall for the "Troll bait" but: Rossi won the world titles in both 125cc and 250cc classes before graduating to the premiere class (Stoner never won a title in either series). Rossi won first won his titles on a 500 two stroke. He was the FIRST World Champion on the 990cc four stroke. He won back to back titles for two different manufacturers (something only Eddie Lawson managed before him). He won titles in the 800cc four stroke era. So... he's won titles in every GP class he's competed in except the new 1000cc era. Stoner won two titles in the 800cc class and then burnt out. It is nowhere even CLOSE. There are times I suspect your total ignorance of the subject, and then there are times like these when you confirm my suspicions. | ||
| Xb1125r |
superbike planet guy is so dumb. deperate times deperate actions article. bradl was already finishing 5th in other races. lorenzo and danny where not a 100 percent so they dont count. so that is 2 spots pluas marquez and bradl is out of podium. | ||
| Smoke4ndmears |
Can one be a fan yet not be allowed to talk about the sport? | ||
| Trojan |
bradl was already finishing 5th in other races. Bradl is in his second season on a FACTORY Honda, not some second division customer bike. The ONLY major difference between Bradl's Honda and Dani's up until a few weeks ago was the Nissin brakes. Now that LCR have ditched Nissin for Brembo they are effectively the same bike as the Repsol team have. Bradl has underperformed this season (as has Bautista) and a sudden surge in form at contract time may just be too late. Interviewed after Laguna, Bradl admitted that he has no contract and no options with Honda at the moment for next season, which is a big difference to three weeks ago when Honda were almost 100% sure to exercise their option and keep him for 2014. Unless Crutchlow follows the money and signs for Ducati I really expect him to take Bradl's place in the LCR team for next year. If he does, then expect Bradl to be in red next year (with or without Marlboro sponsorship). | ||
| Xb1125r |
smoke, its america freedom of speech. this is not China | ||
| Jaimec |
A very nice write-up of what Nicky's departure will/might mean: http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/trackside-t uesday-nicky-hayden-ducati-departure/ | ||
| Bads1 |
smoke, its america freedom of speech. this is not China And there you go again wrong. This is Blakes house in the end and you seem to want to bad mouth Rossi just get a rise out of others here even though your facts are usually wrong. |
