| Author | Message | ||
     Blake |
Nick might do better on a bike that could run 5 MPH faster down the main straight. | ||
| Azxb9r |
I thought that Stoner showed a lot of maturity in this race. Being patient untill the initial silliness settled down, then casually working his way to the front. My question is, What is up with Rossi? He looked strong early, but faded as the race went on. The last lap he was looking a bit sloppy, like he was fatigued. | ||
| Jaimec |
From the interviews I saw, Lorenzo burned himself out early. Once he learns to pace himself, LOOK OUT! | ||
| Trojan |
I have no doubt that Nick Hayden will soon be challenging for MotoGP race wins and the championship. Funny how some folks think. Knocking Nick for having done development on the '08 machine but preferring the '07 for the race. Yet Pedrosa took his '08 Honda to 2nd place. So then, did Nick do a good job in developing the '08? Apparently for Pedro he certainly did. I am not knocking Nicky Hayden as a person or as a rider. However he has not developed the 08 bike to the point where it is competitive for either him or Pedrosa. If he had, then he would have raced it rather than the 07 bike. Pedrosa did well on the bike because of his skill (and despite a broken wrist) not because Hayden did the donkey work for him. Pedrosa actually publicly criticised Hayden in the winter for NOT developing the 08 Honda, and he has had to work hard with it to get it competitive. As for Rossi, his front tyre was knackered at less than half distance and there was nothing he could do about it. To have finished where he did is testament to the fact that he has not lost his 'mojo'. Just looking at the amount of road/kerb he was using compared to the guys he was fighting with showed how much he was struggling with front end grip almost throughout the race. Top speed trap times are always misleading and unless you are drag racing almost always meaningless unless riders are running in the same group. 2 of the top 3 in the list above finished way down the order, yet Dovizioso finished 4th and way ahead of Hayden. Deangelis was also ahead of Nicky when he threw it away. Toseland and Edwards have identical bikes and are similar weight, yet are 3mph different in top speeds. Toseland is shown as faster than Dovizioso yet couldn't get near him on the main straight throughout the race. Speed traps are normally placed near the end of the main straight but take no account of final corner exit speed, which is far more important. Don't read too much into them. | ||
| Benm2 |
I think you can read Ducati maintains their power advantage with their "quaint, antiquated" desmo engine. I'm starting to become a beleiver in Stoner. Melandri finished where? Rossi getting dusted back to 5th? Rossi has pushed, shoved, stuffed, slid, knee-caught, near-high-sided his motorbikes to all manner of victories. Remember the first race after the Yamaha switch? THAT was Rossi. Is the guard changing? | ||
| 12r |
Is the guard changing? I think it's changed. The 990 guys are on their back foot and Stoner is looking more and more like a 21st century Doohan. All of his '06 crashes were due to losing the front and now he can run a hard Bridgestone front and push it all the way round. Couple this with corner-recognition engine management and 100% faith in the Ducati's electronics and there's not much hope for the other guys. | ||
| Jaimec |
I remember Edwards saying that Rossi used a completely different Michelin tire from either him or anyone else on the grid. Edwards even said he tried to ride Rossi's bike and couldn't get the hang of the tire behavior. Now Rossi is on Bridgestone. Bridgestone claims to make the SAME tire for ALL of their riders. If Rossi liked a "Michelin special" he is going to be out of luck with the "off the rack" tires from Bridgestone. I'm sure he'll eventually come to grips with them, but will it be too late by then?? | ||
| Vagelis46 |
This was Rossi's 1st race on Bridgestones. He had no experience in racing conditions with his new tires. Race simulations and the actual race are completely different. It seems that he chose tires that were too soft. They made the distance in the race simulation, but proved bad for the race. So he was fast in the beggining of the race, but then he started fading. Rossi was really impressive in the first 8 laps. Maybe because he was running soft tires ? Or he is simply the best rider ? I think that if he had chosen harder tires, he would have challenged for 2nd. Rossi has now a reference point, and will not make the same mistake again. It looked like Toseland would pass Rossi, but he did not. Maybe Toseland is trying to be a 'nice guy' for the Yamaha bosses. Hayden ? What is wrong with this guy ? Choosing the 07' bike over the 08' ? | ||
| Trojan |
Hayden ? What is wrong with this guy ? Choosing the 07' bike over the 08' ? Once a rider loses confidence in his equipment all sorts of options seem to be better than the one in front of them. Hayden seems to have lost his way when it comes to race setup and doesn't have a team mate that he can 'borrow' settings from or bounce ideas off. Hayden & Pedrosa are so physically different and their riding styles so at odds with each other that their settings are worlds apart. Maybe Hayden needs to sit down and go back to square one with the 08 bike rather than start to panic at this stage. After all, he was hardly the quickest of the 07 Hondas either, so hasn't anything to lose by slugging it out with the new model.. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
'Maybe Hayden needs to sit down and go back to square one with the 08 bike rather than start to panic at this stage. ' Or he should consider having a go with the Ducati next year. His style is so different than anyone else, that he might make the Ducati go fast. That would be interesting. I guess Melandri would not mind loosing his Ducati ride for next year, but he has signed a 2 year deal. | ||
| Trojan |
Or he should consider having a go with the Ducati next year. Given his poor form over the last season, the winter tests and now the first round, I can't see any factory teams forming an orderly queue to sign Nicky if Honda drop him at the end of the year. I woudl suspect either a 'sideways' move into a satellite team or out of MotoGP altogether, unless his form improves dramatically that is ;) | ||
| Blake |
Pedrosa is one of the whiniest debutants in motorcycle racing history. He'd complain no matter what. He's pathetically negative. Just look at his comments versus Rossi's preceding the race. Hayden won a championship. Pedro hasn't and never will. Hayden is by far the better man and Honda would do well to treat him accordingly. That's my view, you can bash Hayden all you like, but it won't change what I see. Admitedly, I don't like Pedrosa. Neither does Rossi. I doubt Nick likes him much either. | ||
| Jaimec |
On the other hand, Nicky's LAST team mate was Max Biaggi... so maybe Pedro IS a step up.  | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Rossi does not seem to like riders that sometimes are faster than him. So Rossi does not like Stoner, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Elias,......On the other hand Rossi likes Capirossi, Edwards that are no threat for him. There will always be rides in motoGP for Hayden. Maybe a different team with less pressure for results, will be better suited for Hayden. I would like to see Hayden on a Ducati, going sideways. He likes powerfull bikes and he is always asking for more power from Honda. Remember Barros ? He was much faster than Elias, Guintoli and even Melandri on the Ducati. Ducati misses him already, so do we. | ||
| Blake |
Ive never heard of Rossi commenting negatively against anyone other than Pedrosa. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
Rossi have said : Stoner relies too much on electronics Elias is dangerous | ||
| Blake |
That's nothing compared to his comments on Pedro. | ||
| Azxb9r |
Maybe Hayden needs to sit down and go back to square one with the 08 bike rather than start to panic at this stage. After all, he was hardly the quickest of the 07 Hondas either, so hasn't anything to lose by slugging it out with the new model.. That is what he should be doing. Being a past world champion will give him a little extra leeway, but this is a "what have you done for me lately" business. If his performance does not improve, that championship is going to start looking like it was a long time ago. Especially if Pedrosa keeps turning in performances like he just did. You can't work out the bugs in the new bike if you are riding the old one. | ||
| Blake |
From MotoGP.com: Michelin director believes Winter work will | ||
| Blake |
From MotoGP.com: HRC´s Hamane: `In 2008 we will win everything' | ||
| Jaimec |
GO COLIN!! http://tinyurl.com/2u27bb | ||
| Trojan |
Edwards has dropped down the order slightly in FP2, with Lorenzo topping the time sheets ahead of 'team mate' Rossi. Edwards remains third for almost another Yamaha lock out of the front row. Dani Pedrosa scraped into 4th spot with Hayden in 5th just ahead of Stoner, who crashed late in the session without injury. Another crasher, also uninjured, was James Toseland who finds himself down in 8th place jst behind Honda 'privateer' Dovizioso. The rest of the Ducati riders (Melandri/Guintoli/ELias find themselves firmly at the blunt end of the field and have the back of the grid all to them themselves except for Anthony West's Kawasaki, who continues his poor form in a lonely 17th place. Another US rider worth watching this weekend (and future MotoGP rider methinks) is Steve Bonsey, who is currently in 6th spot after the 125GP first qualifying session. | ||
| Jaimec |
Matt, Nicky finished in fourth AHEAD of Pedro... | ||
| Jaimec |
Jorge Lorenzo is on the pole for Jerez! The guy isn't even of legal drinking age and he's already kicking ass and taking names. The Spaniards have to be delighted with Lorenzo and Pedrosa one and two in tomorrow's lineup. But looky who snagged the third spot! Colin Edwards III!! GO COLIN! Rossi gotted pipped by Hayden into fifth place, and Stoner could only manage seventh. There's Michelin's qualifying superiority at work. Be interesting to see how it all turns out tomorrow. Should be exciting! | ||
| Hooligan620 |
Speaking of Colin have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1UlEQtdUGc | ||
| Rasmonis |
OMG! What a last lap on the 250 today!!! Incredible! There's at least one pissed off Spaniard out there today. What a race! | ||
| Jackbequick |
That might have to be the save of the year, here is Colin's take on what happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIweYbgW4w0&feature =related Must have been a little hard on the elbow and knee of his leathers. And his underwear might be a little "distressed" too. Jack | ||
| Jaimec |
I read that Nicky had a similar save during the race, however they never showed it on the Speed broadcast. Is there a video of that anywhere? | ||
| Trojan |
I read that Nicky had a similar save during the race, however they never showed it on the Speed broadcast. Is there a video of that anywhere? Nicky's save wasn't as spectacular as Colin's, although of a similar nature. Congrats to Dani boy for a perfect race from flag to flag. Nobody ever looked like catching him and he must be delighted with his result. Likewise Rossi must think that things are starting to go his way at last, even though Jerez is one of his best circuits. As for Stoner....He looked just like he did in 2006, looking for a place to have an accident. When the Ducati doesn't work he looks pretty average I think, but at least better than the rest of the Ducati contingent (now i'll step back and wait for the response ;) ) Well done Bradley Smith on 3rd place in the 125 race, and to Stevie Bonsey for a great 6th place finish in the same race. | ||
| Jaimec |
Found a link to Nicky's save: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfFDoHDwxM0&feature =related |
