| Author | Message | ||
     Trojan |
the Italian press (gpone) among many insiders claimed that DePuniet should have been penalized, instead of Stoner, for cruising at 100km/h during warm up down the straight , while other riders were doing 300km/h. That isn't what happened, although some of the press are claiming so. De Puniet made a mistake on his lap, slowed to adjust his brake and claimed to have looked behind him to make sure he didn't impede anyone. He says he simply didn't see Stoner coming but when he was aware of his presence he attempted to move out of the way and off the racing line. Unfortunately he chose the wrong direction to move in and Stoner moved the same way. A simple mistake that happens in racing when you have riders on track travelling at different speeds (happens every qualifying session almost). The difference this time was that deliberately Stoner punched De Puniet after the event, and that should be enough to get a severe punishment in itslef regardless of the circumstances before it. Stoner has been getting increasingly arrogant and scathing about other riders using 'his' part of the track this season and he needs to realise that he isn't the only rider who is out there. I'd like to see him try and punch Simoncelli though  I think poor old Casey would wake up some time later in the clinica mobile nursing a fat lip | ||
| Gaesati |
I wonder what will happen when Simoncelli runs across someone who pushes back as hard as he does? Maybe after a couple of plated collarbones and a broken leg he will amend his attitude. | ||
| Trojan |
I wonder what will happen when Simoncelli runs across someone who pushes back as hard as he does? Maybe after a couple of plated collarbones and a broken leg he will amend his attitude. He already has in 250G....And he won Simoncelli is getting a hard time for not doing much wrong unfortunately in my view. He is young and fast, so will crash more. Lorenzo was exactly the same when he arrived in MotoGP, and if anything was more dangerous in 250 than Supersic was (Jorge got banned after all for dangerous riding, something Marco hasn't managed yet). The underlying problem now is that modern riders don't want to get involved in 'physical' racing. Maybe because the electronic era makes the riding style different or the bikes easier to ride? Maybe it is a new generation of whimps? I don't know what the reason is, but it does seem to be the fashion at the moment. If the race directors applied similar punishments in 125 or Moto2 races as they did in MotoGP last week there would be a constant stream of riders in pit lane! These guys should try a weekend racing at BSB or at a British club race if they want to see 'aggressive' riding Even John Hopkins sayss he was surprised at the level of physical intimidation and aggressive riding when he first arrived to race in BSB. | ||
| Vagelis46 |
BSB and motoGP are night and day. Moves that can happen in BSB , make people crash in motoGP. Completely different levels and speeds. | ||
| Trojan |
BSB and motoGP are night and day. Moves that can happen in BSB , make people crash in motoGP. Completely different levels and speeds. Speeds are certainly not dissimilar in BSB, particularly at faster tracks. Take a look at the lap times at the NW200 this week if you want to see fast qualifying times compared to MotoGP! Also remember that safety at BSB tracks is nowhere near GP levels, so it is all relative. Go back just a few years in MotoGP and you'll see how the attitude has changed amongst riders. Mick Doohan, Kevin Schwantz or Wayne Gardner certainly wouldn't be moaning about aggressive riding that's for sure! Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa would have been eaten alive back then! | ||
| Davegess |
Every one wants safe but safe is in reality impossible. Safety is the absence of danger. MC racing is never gonna be that. I think Simoncelli was hit with the ride through more because of some of his earlier incidents. That one did not look that bad. I kinda think Dani couldn't hold his bike down and stood it up to avoid losing the front end. Which might have taken both out. Could Dani have made it if he was fully healed? Maybe? Simo does need to pick his spots better, that pass could well have caused both to crash, I think he got lucky. | ||
| Gaesati |
I agree, Dave, Simoncelli did get lucky. I suspect from a couple of stop motion video images I saw that Sic hit Pedrosa's right arm or handlebar on the way through causing Pedrosa to countersteer which lifted him upright and into the back wheel of Pedrosa's bike. Probably, Sic was attempting too fine a move. He, himself, said he thought he had left Pedrosa a metre. To quote Stoner: " maybe (his) ambition was greater than his talent" at this stage of his career. A final thought, if people, including Rossi, are racing at the limit they will make seemingly boneheaded moves from time to time. | ||
| Trojan |
A final thought, if people, including Rossi, are racing at the limit they will make seemingly boneheaded moves from time to time. I agree completely, and that is part of racing and should be accepted as such. A ride through penalty for this incident was way out of line with the actual incident. Stoner's 'punch' however was not a racing incident but a deliberate assault, and should have been dealt a much harsher penalty in line with other similar incidents in the past. Hopefully the stupid posturing and girlie name calling by certain riders will stop soon and we'll get back to some proper racing. | ||
| Trojan |
Colin Edwards has just been diagnosed with a broken collarbone following a crash in FP2 at catalunya  I don't have any details yet but it must have happened very early in the session as his only lap time is almost 9 seconds off Stoner at the top of the sheets. He will pretty much certainly miss this round and at least one of the next 5 GP's that follow in quick succession after this weekend. Not a good time to get injured in MotoGP The grid for this weekend is now down to 15 bikes and we haven't got to qualifying yet! I could get across there and score points on a road bike at this rate! | ||
| Jaimec |
A good showing from Crutchlow. I'm not yet convinced he's the "British Ben Spies" but he's doing very well. Damned shame about his team mate Colin though. Hope he's back up on his bike quickly. And I'm waiting for Yamaha to step it up in the engine department. If it weren't for the raw talent of the two Factory Riders this had every indication of another Honda romp... | ||
| Simond |
Good result for Ben Spies - that's much more like it! Crutchlow undid his qualifying performance by dropping to about 12th at the first corner. From there it wasn't a bad result but his starts have been pretty poor so far this year. There was another penalty dished out in the 125s when Zarco elbowed Terol into the dirt at the last corner. The penalty was inevitable after the one given to Simoncelli at Le Mans but a worrying trend has been set! Sofuoglu punted Simon off in a clumsy manoeuvre which broke Simon's leg. Presumably he should be expecting a severe retrospective penalty without the option to appeal. There's little enough overtaking in MotoGP as it is without the riders being afraid that any contact will result in official action. (Message edited by SimonD on June 05, 2011) | ||
| Trojan |
Yawn.......Was that really a MotoGP race or was it just F1 on two wheels? I was praying for rain after 6 laps because it was just so dull The only race worth watching was fo 9th,10th and 11th places!! Any prospect of a close race disappeared with Simoncelli's terrible start so from lap one the result was almost inevitable There was another penalty dished out in the 125s when Zarco elbowed Terol into the dirt at the last corner. The penalty was inevitable after the one given to Simoncelli at Le Mans but a worrying trend has been set! Sofuoglu punted Simon off in a clumsy manoeuvre which broke Simon's leg. Presumably he should be expecting a severe retrospective penalty without the option to appeal Another ridiculous and knee jerk reaction from Race Control which will have an ongoing effect on every gp race from now on. The 125 race was the only exciting race of the whole weekend and was spoiled by the ridiculous decision of the race director, whcih gave no right of appeal or representation to the rider or team, and the punishment of a 20 second time penalty was extreme to say the least. Terol ran wide on the entry to the final turn and once Zarco turned inside him it was obvious that they were both going to run wide on the exit and that is exactly what happened. It is what we expect in a last corner race for the line in 125 GP for the last 30 years so why penalise him now! In the same race Jonas Foulger forced not one but 2 riders off track during the race with some very aggressive passes into turn one. Not only was he not punished, but was promoted to 3rd place because of Zarco's penalty! Ridiculous! | ||
| Jaimec |
Dani's not going to be at Silverstone... Edwards is DETERMINED to be there. GO TEXAS! | ||
| Trojan |
Edwards is DETERMINED to be there That doesn't mean that they will clear him to race though He wanted to try and start at catalunya but the medics wouldn't give him clearance to ride (a good decision I think!). After seeing the problems caused to other riders coming back too soon from injury (particularly Pedrosa) I think it would be better for him to let it heal for at least another 2 weeks before attempting to come back. It isn't as if he is fighting for a championship is it? Strong rumour has it that John Hopkins was offered Pedrosa's ride for Spain & Silverstone but turned it down. Bradley Smith was also offered the Tech 3 ride in Spain but again decided that it wasn't worth the risk to his Moto2 championship. Part of the problem these days is that there are just not enough experienced 'stand in' riders available to step in and take a ride in the event of injury. Marco Melendri is the only really suitable rider and he is busy at WSB. Nobody else wants to get thrown into the deep end with very little practice and risk getting injured or performing badly, so I would expect to see another (slow) Japanese Honda test rider fill in for Dani if required I'd like to see Johnny Rea given a shot on the Repsol Honda at Silverstone (at least he has ridden the bike during the winter) but I don't think it is going to happen sadly. (Message edited by trojan on June 07, 2011) | ||
| Davegess |
MotoGP is has gotten so thin that it becoming a bad joke. Not enough entries and now not even riders to cover bikes they have. Reminds me of the late 50's F1 scene where things got so bad they simply dropped the F1 class for a few years and ran F2 as the premier class. In the sixties they let F2 cars start from the back of the F1 grids to fill them up, although in one case one of the F2 cars came close to winning. This is about what the new rules are going to allow, superbikes mixed in with the pure race machines. I hope the economy get better so we can return to real F1 racing! | ||
| Simond |
I think the testing ban is as much to blame for the lack of stand-in riders. Shame, Bradley looks more at home on the Moto2 bike than he did on the 125s last year. | ||
| Blake |
Dave, I think the only thing not "pure race" about the FIM SBK machines are the weight limits. What else is there? | ||
| Blake |
The 800cc reconfiguration was a disaster for MotoGP. Next year should be interesting. Move the races in Qatar and China in favor of more motorcycle racing enthused places. Brazil? Moscow? Another race in Japan? Texas!  Hello? | ||
| Daves |
I just really wish the riders would KEEP THEIR FEET ON THE PEGS! There's a bunch of them now doing the "stick your leg out before each corner" thing and God is it annoying. Almost as bad as the air horns of a few years back. | ||
| Hughlysses |
I just really wish the riders would KEEP THEIR FEET ON THE PEGS! What the heck is up with that? Every time I saw somebody do it, I figured they were getting ready to crash. | ||
| Daves |
The only reason I see is to screw with the rider behind you, break their concentration? I think Rossi started it and now there's a bunch doing it. If I was behind one of the "leg" guys and couldn't get around him, by the end of the race I'd want to punch them! I'm just watching it on TV and I want to punch them. | ||
| Rocketsprink |
They "say" it's starts to pull the bike towards the turn. allowing them to carry more speed. Not sure I buy that. I tried it during a practice session one race weekend, and could not convince myself to do it. At the AMA races this past weekend I noticed some riders doing it, but not to the extent they do it in MotoGP. There was even one guy coming into the corners with his inside leg on the peg and his outside leg bent at the knee, but sticking out. That one I really can't understand. | ||
| Jcjohnson33 |
I have heard that it started from the guys that have dirt bike racing. They do drop the inside leg when entering corners. Now it just seems that more people are doing it | ||
| Daves |
Yeah, I agree Rocco. Now, I KNOW I am not nearly as fast or skilled as these guys but I have spent a fair amount of time on a track. I have not tried it but I just can't imagine it not slowing me down. Of course I don't ride an electronic controlled, slipper clutch bike either so when I am coming into a corner I kind of need my foot by the shifter and brakes! You know, ride the bike. I do notice they do it lots more on left hand corners. I guess they'd have to prove it is more than just to annoy the rider behind them. What's next, waving their arms? Matt, I'd like to hear your opinion on this. Does it help them go faster? or is it just the newest, really lame fad? | ||
| Jaimec |
Rossi does it, so everyone thinks they need to do it too. Point in fact, the current World Champion does NOT do it. | ||
| Daves |
Glad I'm not the only one that is thinking WTH? I was watching the race and a friend of mine stopped by. She doesn't ride her own bike or race. Only took a couple of minutes for her to ask "what the hell are they sticking their leg out like that for? I thought they were going to crash" | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Edwards is DETERMINED to be there Cause he knows he will lose his job when someone jumps on that bike and instantly goes faster. I am very surprised he still has a MotoGP ride.} | ||
| Blake |
Unlikely to happen. Edwards is no slouch. | ||
| Trojan |
I think the only thing not "pure race" about the FIM SBK machines are the weight limits. What else is there? Lots!! The SBK macines may have lots of bells and whistles but the frame is still the same as the road bike, and even the Aprilia doesn't have the range of adjustment that a pure race bike has. Cal Crutchlow has an interview in MCN this week where he goes into lots of detail, but stiff chassis, Bridgestone tyres and the way the engines make power all conspire to make the MotoGP bikes much harder to ride than a WSBK machine apparently. He goes on to say that even a mediocre MotoGP rider would probably win WSBK races (on a competitive bike obviously) and thatthe standard of rider in MotoGP is much higher than WSBK. Unlikely to happen. Edwards is no slouch. He's no spring chicken either, and is almost certain to retire from MotoGP at the end of this season. This would seem to be the ideal opportunity for Tech 3 to try out some young talent on their bike while Colin recovers from his injury. Putting Edwards on the bike this weekend is probably just a waste of an engine, as he admits he probably won't even get to full race disance let alone be competitive. If (and it is a big IF) Tech 3 can find a talented youngster willing and able to ride their bike this weekend they should go for it! My vote would go to either Loris Baz or Jules Cluzel. Both are French (which would suit the team very well) and both are young/fast enough to give it a good go. Neither are in a position to be fighting for their current championship lead so could afford to miss a round if necessary (contract permitting of course). Baz rides for Yamaha in BSB anyway so I'm sure they could accomodate him | ||
| Jaimec |
Edwards is usually consistently the fastest non-factory rider out there. He's definitely the fastest "old fart" as he's outshone Capirossi for quite a few years now. He's been cleared by medical to race this weekend. That old fart is obviously made of tougher stuff than Pedrosa. But the two of them have enough metal in their upper bodies now to make air travel an interesting experience I'm sure (at least the boarding procedures). GREAT weekend for fans of world championship racing over here. Three solid hours of racing on Sunday! 2:00 EDT is MotoGP, immediately followed by two hours of WSBK. Chill the beer and unplug the phone! |
