| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
From MotoGP.com Hayden and Pedrosa top the timesheets at If Dani Pedrosa had made the top time with Nicky in 2nd position, I wonder if they'd have put Nicky's name in the headline. | ||
| Jscott |
Hey Buell2001b, come tell Blake he is not allowed to post Honda topics. | ||
| Macbuell |
For a rider that is all about "point and squirt", Hayden sure puts up some good lap times.  | ||
| Blake |
JScott, I'd have PM'd you the following, but you have PMs disabled. Please don't goad the mean people. | ||
| Jscott |
"I'd have PM'd you the following, but you have PMs disabled." Fixed. "Please don't goad the mean people." Sorry.  | ||
| Eboos |
Hey Rocket, how come Honda's "best" rider is second? Jees, even with the body work clearly in his favor, he still is second.  | ||
| Jimidan |
It must have been because Rossi wasn't there. Jscott, don't be mean to the goad people. Anonymous | ||
| Blake |
You only say that because you're a goad people. | ||
| Rocketman |
Actually, third, because Rossi wasn't there. Could have been worse too, if Ducati hadn't gone home early. Rocket | ||
| Davegess |
Looks like Ilmor is really struggling in Sepang. 6 seconds off the pace. Looks like they have some issues. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Davegess, I have to agree with you about Ilmor. 6 sec off the pace is TOO MUCH. I do not think is Pitt's fault, although McWilliams has shown that he is 1 to 2 sec faster than Pitt. But still ... the gap is BIG. I hope they can improve until the start of the season. | ||
| Rocketman |
We must remember that Ilmor are expecting good things, but Mario Ilien said he didn't expect to be on the pace early on. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this Ilmor's first test of the year? Rocket | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Rocket, you are right. BUT....5 sec off the pace means that the Ilmor MotoGP bike is actually slower than a WSBK and possibly a WSS bike. It doesn't make sense...... | ||
| Trojan |
Without knowing exactly what Ilmor are testing or what they hope to achieve from the tests, it is maybe a little premature to be saying that they are not going to be competitive. Maybe they were just doing race length simulations or testing electronics rather than looking for times? Second day times from Sepang: Unofficial Lap Times - Sepang test day 2 1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Yamaha 2'02.099 2. Colin Edwards (USA) Yamaha 2'02.118 3. Randy de Puniet (FRA) Kawasaki 2'02.554 4. Makoto Tamada (JPN) Yamaha 2'02.745 5. Olivier Jacque (FRA) Kawasaki 2'03.761 6. Sylvain Guintoli (FRA) Yamaha 2'05.002 7. Andrew Pitt (AUS) Ilmor 2'07.923 (Both Rossi & Edwards were inside the current 990cc lap record) The final test at Qatar next week will be a much better indication of exactly where all the teams are in terms of competitiveness, although I would expect the usual suspects to be at the sharp end  | ||
| Davegess |
Good point Matt. I am pulling for them to do well, it is a big hill to climb. | ||
| Trojan |
Oh Dear, some people have some improving to do before the first race of next month  Times from the final day at Qatar this week. Don't read too much into the finishing order of the top 5 or 6, as these times were all done on soft qualifiers that flatter some bikes more than others (Pedrosa for instance), but it is obvious that Nicky is still struggling to come to terms with the new bike and his injuries from last year. McWilliams crashed the Ilmor again too, which must have been painful for him! Hoffman & Barros look like good outsiders to put the cat amongst the established pigeons this year 1. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 55.471 secs 2. John Hopkins USA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 55.825 secs 3. Valentino Rossi ITA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 55.954 secs 4. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 56.315 secs 5. Colin Edwards USA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 56.371 secs 6. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 56.753 secs 7. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 56.807 secs 8. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 56.834 secs 9. Alex Barros BRA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 56.950 secs 10. Shinya Nakano JPN Konica Minolta Honda (M) 1min 56.980 secs 11. Marco Melandri ITA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 56.980 secs 12. Makoto Tamada JPN Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 57.232 secs 13. Toni Elias SPA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 57.246 secs 14. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 57.269 secs 15. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 57.365 secs 16. Kenny Roberts USA Team Roberts (M) 1min 57.408 secs 17. Carlos Checa SPA Honda LCR (M) 1min 57.497 secs 18. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 58.379 secs 19. Shinichi Ito JPN Ducati TTT (B) 1min 58.974 secs 20. Andrew Pitt AUS Ilmor GP (M) 2min 0.455 secs 21. Olivier Jacque FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 2min 2.081 secs 22. Jeremy McWilliams GBR Ilmor GP (M) 2min 2.612 secs | ||
| Davegess |
And now news that KR may withdraw!!! Can't find a sponsor and Yamaha was still running plain fairings without sponsor. KR has a few interesting comments on www.superbikeplanet.com. Sounds like it is not too surprising that Buell can't get sponsors. Jeremy is still hurting badly, i hope he can pull off teh recovery, he may not be slwoing down wiht age but the healing process likely is. | ||
| Jimidan |
And now news that KR may withdraw!!! Can't find a sponsor and Yamaha was still running plain fairings without sponsor. Maybe HD will sponsor him...after all he is an American! Since HD is using Rotax engines in the new Buell next year, having a more international presence on the race scene may be just the thing HD is looking for in its advertising.  jimidan | ||
| Davegess |
NOT BLOODY LIKELY!!! KR has Honda motors. I do like how the word that Buell is building a dirt bike in two years has become Buell using Rotax engines next year  The whole commentary is sad, that top MotoGP teams can't get decent money is pretty tough. Are bikers too scary for big corporations? Do they want the hospitality more than the advertising and hanging with bikers is too hard to take? | ||
| Trojan |
The fact that Yamaha have plain fairings at the moment isn't a lack of sponsorship. It is just that they are waiting for the final test at Jerez to showcase their multi million dollar deal with car makers Fiat. The more cynical amongst us may think that this has some connection with Rossi driving for Ferrari in F1 (Fiat own a large stake of Ferrari) or even for Fiat in World Rally Championship once his Yamaha contract expires at the end of 2008, and that a 'secret' deal has been struck that guarantees this. Either way it is nice to see a new and lucrative sponsor in the sport. Sad news about KR though. They have struggled for a while with no backing and they deserve a lot more. Maybe Honda will support them more? | ||
| Jackbequick |
Here's the link to the Kenny Roberts interview, some interesting stuff in there: http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Feb/070215robe rtintervie.htm Jack | ||
| Davegess |
I had not heard the FIAT news. That is cool the sport needs BIG corporate folks | ||
| Davegess |
http://www.motogpmatters.com/ is reporting that Kenny Roberts may be bluffing in the comments he gave Superbikeplanet here http://www.superbikeplanet.com/2007/Feb/070215robe rtintervie.htm Interesting stuff. | ||
| Trojan |
With just one day of testing left to go at Jerez (and currently fogged in so no running yet on the final day), the times are not looking too encouraging for Nicky Hayden, who is languishing in 11th fastest overall and 5th fastest Honda rider. Proving that the new Honda wasn't just tailored for Pedrosa, Marco Melandri tops the times on his Bridgestone shod 'customer' Honda RCV212 ahead of Rossi, who has been in blistering form all weekend. Bridgestone runners currently have 4 of the top six times. Although John Hopkins misses this test through injury, the Suzuki of Vermuelen is not doing too well either given their red hot pace at earlier tests. Maybe they peaked a bit early? The top 10 riders are all comfortably inside the 'old' 990cc lap record 1. Marco Melandri ITA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 40.383 secs 2. Valentino Rossi ITA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 40.308 secs 3. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 40.581 secs 4. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 40.748 secs 5. Toni Elias SPA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 40.952 secs 6. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 41.071 secs 7. Carlos Checa SPA Honda LCR (M) 1min 41.096 secs 8. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 41.151 secs 9. Colin Edwards USA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 41.204 secs 10. Makoto Tamada JPN Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 41.234 secs 11. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 41.259 secs 12. Shinya Nakano JPN Konica Minolta Honda (M) 1min 41.269 secs 13. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 41.363 secs 14. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 41.590 secs 15. Olivier Jacque FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 41.777 secs 16. Kenny Roberts USA Team Roberts (M) 1min 41.783 secs 17. Alex Barros BRA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 41.845 secs 18. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 42.364 secs 19. Shinichi Ito JPN Ducati TTT (B) 1min 43.209 secs 20. Kousuke Akiyoshi JPN Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 43.610 secs 21. Vittoriano Guareschi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 44.143 secs Apparently Yamaha will run in corporate blue colours all this weekend, and will only reveal the new Fiat livery at the first race of the season. Expect the times to tumble once the weather lifts and the fight for the BMW prize gets underway this afternoon | ||
| Trojan |
Final times for the final test of the year before the season starts in ernest, and Rossi stamped his authority on the class and has shown that he is back in business with a stunning time nearly 3 seconds quicker than the 990cc lap record from 2006!! Pedrosa was second ahead of an impressive Colin Edwards, and Nicky Hayden improved his time to finish 4th, but must be worried being 1.2 seconds adrift of Vale on qualifying tyres. Ilmor have improved to within a whisker of the other 'rear echelon' teams, but are still a long way from being competitive it appears and are 5 seconds adrift of the front runners 1. Valentino Rossi ITA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 38.394 secs 2. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 38.527 secs 3. Colin Edwards USA Factory Yamaha Team (M) 1min 39.300 secs 4. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 39.556 secs 5. Randy de Puniet FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 39.832 secs 6. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 39.873 secs 7. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 39.887 secs 8. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 40.043 secs 9. Kenny Roberts USA Team Roberts (M) 1min 40.083 secs 10. Carlos Checa SPA Honda LCR (M) 1min 40.100 secs 11. Toni Elias SPA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 40.202 secs 12. Shinya Nakano JPN Konica Minolta Honda (M) 1min 40.242 secs 13. Makoto Tamada JPN Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 40.307 secs 14. Marco Melandri ITA Gresini Honda (B) 1min 40.396 secs 15. Olivier Jacque FRA Kawasaki Racing Team (B) 1min 40.551 secs 16. Alex Hofmann GER Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 40.681 secs 17. Alex Barros BRA Pramac d'Antin MotoGP (B) 1min 41.038 secs 18. Kousuke Akiyoshi JPN Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 41.805 secs 19. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Dunlop Tech 3 Yamaha (D) 1min 42.215 secs 20. Vittoriano Guareschi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 43.008 secs 21. Andrew Pitt AUS Ilmor GP (M) 1min 43.026 secs 22. Shinichi Ito JPN Ducati TTT (B) 1min 43.073 secs 23. Jeremy McWilliams GBR Ilmor GP (M) 1min 43.202 secs | ||
| Rocketman |
That's an amazing top ten! Rocket | ||
| Trojan |
There are certainly a few surprises in the top ten, such as Randy de Puniet on the Kwacker. He actually says he missed a gear change on his hot lap and was disappointed not to be in the top 3! More surprising was Melandri being so far out of it, given that he had led the times for most of the weekend. Roll on March 10 | ||
| Davegess |
Matt, I recall reading somewhere that the MotoGP rules require teams to appear at the final Jerez test in the actual colors they are racing in. Seemingly I am hallucinating. I can't understand why FIAT would want to wait, they are missing a ton of coverage. | ||
| Trojan |
It would appear that the ink isn't exactly dry on the Fiat contract, although it is apparently a 100% done deal, so the corporate statements from Yamaha about wanting to appear in the blue colours to 'thank everyone for their hard work over the winter' is just BS to cover for the fact that they are not ready yet. The actual race colours will apparently be very Italian, which I find surprising for a Japanese bike firm I noticed also that the KR team ran in plain carbon fairings at the Jerez test, although the rest of the bike looks to painted red and KR (jr) is wearing some large sponsor patches on his leathers that I couldn't decipher. They obviously have more sponsorship than last season already, but is it enough to keep them afloat?  Following the end of the test at Jerez there was a conference discussing the parlous state of sponsorship in MotoGP and what could be done to improve matters. I wonder what conclusions they came to? | ||
| 12r |
The blue Yamaha looks absolutely amazing. Whatever deal they do with Fiat it can't look this good:   Unless it's red/chrome/green |
