We havent had a thread on Moto GP yet.
So im starting one.:Thumbsup!
Rossi to win the championship again.
However, Stoner to win at Qatar tonight.
Hahaha....Stoner falls off very early on!
Rossi wins!
Hello 2010 title!
just watched this tonight,much better than f1 at the moment and much more exciting!
What an end to the race to! the late pass by lorenzo to take 2nd place, the guy has very big balls and with the yamaha or honda? hitting 320kmh in just 1 km!
Awesome 1st race wasnt it!
Spies in 5th just a second or two off rossi aswell.
Yeah, a good race, probably more interesting than the entire second half of last season in one race there! Nice to see Hayden back up there, he must feel sick being raped on the line by Haaaahnda power at the last second.
Edwards made to look a bit of a mug by finishing four places behind his "rookie" teammate :Giggle. Mind you, I think that Ben\'s Pies is one of the best riders in any class in the world, and I don\'t think it\'ll be long before he\'s challenging for wins......if his second-rate bike lets him :(.
Funny to see Stoner fall off for no good reason, guess his head\'s still broken from last year then. At least he can start sulking early now, he\'s never happy till ha can have a good grizzle :rollin
What\'s going on with the new Haaahnda fairings, they look like a late \'90s Kawasaki ZX9 with that big snout intake thing :3Confused.
.....of course, this won\'t be a proper MotoGP thread without Martiny going on about how much he hates Hondas, ahhh those were the days :D
Stoner:"Who is behind me?"
Ducati team:"Dovizioso...Dovizioso...Dovizioso...Rossi!"
And Stoner fell...
Can we have a thread on BSB?!? I know the first round winner :Viking lol
Quote from: CharlieP;686625Can we have a thread on BSB?!? I know the first round winner :Viking lol
No im afraid not!
I\'ll chat to you about BSB, Charlie, these glory hunters don\'t understand that real racing happens away from the MotoGp chequebooks :rollin :p
Were you at Brands? I thought that was a great day\'s racing, to be fair, apart from Hodgson\'s no-show. Big up to Tommy Hill, hopefully he can stay injury free and he\'ll show the class he\'s always had but never been able to translate into form :yes.
Bet it was easier getting your Buell out of the quagmire of the parking fields than it was getting my ZX (if you were there, obviously). It was, in the words of the immortal Kevin Schwantz, "a bit squirrelly" :eek:
Stuart Easton, what a boy. He was giving an interview about his leg injury from Cadwell testing, just nonchalantly saying about how it wasn\'t really painful, just a bit inconvenient, and it restricted movement a bit. Like, faaaaaark, have you seen the injury :eek:? It\'s horrific, it looks like a butchers\' shop window! And it turns out all the stitches were pulling through and it was seeping down his leg into his boot. Proper hard lad, despite what people say about him. Pics here on this MCN article, I suggest you don\'t look if you\'re squeamish......
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/British-Superbikes/2010/March/mar3110-eastons-injury-from-cadwell-crash/?R=EPI-123098
Quote from: Nik da Greek;686637I\'ll chat to you about BSB, Charlie, these glory hunters don\'t understand that real racing happens away from the MotoGp chequebooks :rollin :p
Were you at Brands? I thought that was a great day\'s racing, to be fair, apart from Hodgson\'s no-show. Big up to Tommy Hill, hopefully he can stay injury free and he\'ll show the class he\'s always had but never been able to translate into form :yes.
Bet it was easier getting your Buell out of the quagmire of the parking fields than it was getting my ZX (if you were there, obviously). It was, in the words of the immortal Kevin Schwantz, "a bit squirrelly" :eek:
No didnt go, neither Tommy or Jimmy got me free tickets! haha
They\'ve been next door neighbours for years, and Jim and his dad do quite a bit of work for us.
Hill domination at the weekend! haha
I was a bit gutted for Hayden to lose out on that straight, the power of that honda is well impressive though! Couldn\'t believe Stoner coming off, i was really hoping for a stoner/rossi battle! At least he didnt come off in the warm-up lap again...
Quote from: Nik da Greek;686637I\'ll chat to you about BSB, Charlie, these glory hunters don\'t understand that real racing happens away from the MotoGp chequebooks :rollin :p
Ahh, that will be the series thats easier for the racers they put out to graze:Giggle:Giggle
Seriously, just playing and I know you are refering to BSB ,
You know years ago I wouldn\'t have missed a World Super Bike race and it nearly wiped out GP as riders activly went WSB instead, that is until Moto came along !
If Moto GP was just down to checkbooks then by form Toseland should have sorted em out along with a few other who step up and stepped back down to WSB over the last couple of years which feels like a shadow of it\'s former self.
Back to present blow F1, "WHAT A RACE" with or without Stoner :burnout
That\'s it, hand grenade in, I\'ll get me coat:Giggle.
Oooh, you know how to press my buttons, Clive :Giggle.
MotoGP has always been about buying the championship, ever since they stopped using two-strokes and the rider stopped making more difference than the bike. The electronics packages are unregulated, and the biggest single expense on the bike now, which is exactly why people like Toseland have no chance whatsoever of being competitive. Give someone a bike with similar (ridiculously high) horsepower and half the traction control to someone else and it\'s no surprise if they finish second. I picked Toseland not because I\'m a massive fan or I think he\'s the best rider ever but because he\'s th example you used, btw, there are plenty of others.
In this current iteration of MOtoGP it takes an extremely rare talent (like once a generation.....Rossi?) to make a difference over the electronics package. Even he spent a while lost in the wilderness a couple of years back and even his supernatural talent couldn\'t overcome the electronics shortcomings.
I guess there\'s also the argument of what constitutes "fantastic racing". If it means a lot of people going very fast on technological tours de force but generally separated by several seconds on the track (as in F1) then MotoGP is undeniably top. If it means lots of people still going very fast but also barging into each other and overtaking once in a while, then Superbikes is yer animal. Which is why I like it. But then, I like all bike racing, even AMA where only four bikes stand a chance of winning and they can lap the other 70-odd riders every race :Hammer.
For me BSB, not WSB, offers the best "racing" but not necesarily the best overall package. It\'s a fascinating mix of, as you put it, old riders put out to pasture but still quick, and young guns desperate to make their name. Plus, the machinery is relevant to something we could all understand and aspire to. Even in WSB the traction control is what wins races now as much as talent, which is fine if that\'s what you\'re into but I and many others like to think there\'s still room for human achievement, skill and endeavour in the sport :p
I\'m reckoning over the last few years, the most memorable races have come from Moto GP. Rossi vs Stoner @ laguna seca, Rossi vs Gibernau @ Jerez, Rossi vs Lorenzo @ Catalunya. Before that it was WSB with Foggy vs Corser @ phillip island \'99. Infact Foggy vs Corser vs Biaggi at nearly every race for a while...
Before that BTCC - when Matt Neal won a race as the first privateer to do so, when John Cleland got shunted, and finally got his car back on track, only to take out the guy that shunted him at the first corner, when Charlie Cox shot off the track backwards between a tree and an ambulance, when the volvo\'s turned up, and were actually pretty bloody good...
Oh, all happy days... *grin*
Quote from: Nik da Greek;686657Oooh, you know how to press my buttons, Clive :Giggle.
MotoGP has always been about buying the championship,
Nah, Nicky Hayden would have given every penny he had, plus an arm and a leg to have not scrabbled about at the back last year :WaveBye:D
Quote from: Kriss;686624Stoner:"Who is behind me?"
Ducati team:"Dovizioso...Dovizioso...Dovizioso...Rossi!"
And Stoner fell...
Which race are you talking about, it was Pedrosa behind Stoner first up buddy :rollin
And going against popular opinion on this thread i was gutted to see Stoner come off because i think he is the only one who can consistently push Rossi for the title and to be fair i am bored of seeing Rossi win year in and out! Appreciated there will be other winners, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and by the looks of things maybe Hayden (good to see up the sharp end again) and Spies. I dont think for one minute Stoner was worried about Rossi, he knew he had the pace to beat him i just think he was doing a Rossi esque trying to break the pack and just pushed it too much in his bid to do just this.
Lets hope for a good year of close fought races like this one anyone and quite happy to have a bet with anyone who is jumping on the Rossi bandwagon again :Yawn:Yawn:Yawn:Yawn:Yawn
Yes, sorry, my fault... was Pedrosa indeed...
Yes, Stoner was not worried about Rossi... and that is his fault every year!!! You always had to be worried about Valentino, because he can race like anybody else...
I think this would be another wonderfull year of battles but... Rossi will win again!!! :D
Quote from: Kriss;686712Yes, sorry, my fault... was Pedrosa indeed...
Yes, Stoner was not worried about Rossi... and that is his fault every year!!! You always had to be worried about Valentino, because he can race like anybody else...
I think this would be another wonderfull year of battles but... Rossi will win again!!! :D
Is that every year including the one he won the championship by some 125 points :Giggle
Besides the negative opinions re Stoners personality, it seems everyone thinks he is just a wanna be. I have never seen Rossi come out of the pit garage, do 4-5 laps, usually putting it on pole, then go back have a rest for 30 minutes till the rest catch up, then go out, do a few more laps and usually take pole again. The boys a legendary rider and this is on a bike no one else can ride until this year and by all accounts its because they have knocked 20 hp off and improved the torque.
Write him off at your peril, anyone want to give me odds for Stoner to win :wiggle
No-ones writing Stoner off, Mr Pilot. His talent isn\'t in question, but he is still an unlikeable little whinger! Likewise, when I praise Rossi\'s talent that\'s in no way meant to imply I idolise him, quite the reverse. I think he has a very clever PR steamroller pushing him along, but tbh I\'ve always found his pranks and capers rather too contrived and immature to cause me too much hilarity. Back in the day when he was dressing up as Robin Hood on the 125 podium he may have been excused on the grounds of being like 17 years old, but it\'s less endearing and zany when a 30-year old feels the need to invent a new nickname for himself every season. I gues when you\'re the most talented rider in the world by some margin you can get away with behaving like an utter twot
Quote from: Nik da Greek;686887No-ones writing Stoner off, Mr Pilot. His talent isn\'t in question, but he is still an unlikeable little whinger! Likewise, when I praise Rossi\'s talent that\'s in no way meant to imply I idolise him, quite the reverse. I think he has a very clever PR steamroller pushing him along, but tbh I\'ve always found his pranks and capers rather too contrived and immature to cause me too much hilarity. Back in the day when he was dressing up as Robin Hood on the 125 podium he may have been excused on the grounds of being like 17 years old, but it\'s less endearing and zany when a 30-year old feels the need to invent a new nickname for himself every season. I gues when you\'re the most talented rider in the world by some margin you can get away with behaving like an utter twot
I agree with you there, I\'ve watched him since his 125 days and there is no doubt of his talent but I find the pranks a bit silly.
Well i hope for any other than Rossi for the title, not because i dont like him or think he isnt the best but as mentioned i think the sport (or any sport) gets stale when one rider or team (Man U) keeps winning. I like to watch to see if they can be beaten and the racing involved in that effect. So, barring Rossi\'s talent/skill i think the only other rider out there who "could" mount a consistent challenge is Stoner, plus i do think he is an awesome talent, i know its old hat but no one else has made that Ducati work, would actually love to see Rossi on it, now that would stop all the critics and i dont mean from here.
So to Toseland, interesting, no doubting his talent but to be fair he just didnt cut it in Moto GP as with many other WSB champs who have gone to that pasture. Spies on the same bike, first race ended up higher than Toseland ever. However, i admire Toseland for being the one British WSB winner to brave the big arena, or shall we say, the pinnacle of bike racing. Was all too easy for Foggy and Hodgson to stay around in WSB on bar far the best bikes and know they most likely had a good percentage chance of re claiming the title and when they didnt win, they just resorted to the kind of whinging that Stoner is accused of, it was the brakes, the tyres went off, did anyone notice whenever Foggy wasnt winning he was always looking down at the bike, almost like he was ready to make an excuse.
So this year we have a fit Stoner, i cant quite imagine trying to ride one of those things fully fit let alone throwing up in your helmet mid race or near on fainting when you get off because you have some illness. Imho it took a brave decision to take a break last year, he is a young lad and the pressure on anyone that age to compete at that standard is admirable.
I\'ll just add, Stoner WAS worried about Rossi, hence him wanting to get to the front of the pack as quick as possible to try and break away.
If anyone watched qualifying (like i did), Stoner did his usual trick of 4-5laps, then back in until the last 10mins.
He went and did a 1.55.007 lap....half a second faster than Rossi.
Stoner then proceeded back to the pits.
Rossi, came straight back out....was 0.300 seconds FASTER for the first 3 sectors, and then flucked up the final sector to go 0.300 seconds behind.
Stoner had seen this information and thought "bugger...i need t get in front quick tomorrow".
Also, if Stoner was that good, then why didnt he win on argubaly the best bikeof the 2006 season, the RC211V
Quote from: Dan Norton;687067I\'ll just add, Stoner WAS worried about Rossi, hence him wanting to get to the front of the pack as quick as possible to try and break away.
If anyone watched qualifying (like i did), Stoner did his usual trick of 4-5laps, then back in until the last 10mins.
He went and did a 1.55.007 lap....half a second faster than Rossi.
Stoner then proceeded back to the pits.
Rossi, came straight back out....was 0.300 seconds FASTER for the first 3 sectors, and then flucked up the final sector to go 0.300 seconds behind.
Stoner had seen this information and thought "bugger...i need t get in front quick tomorrow".
Also, if Stoner was that good, then why didnt he win on argubaly the best bikeof the 2006 season, the RC211V
I think you confuse worried with wanting to make a break as Rossi does, he was merely doing what he thought he should, he breezed past Rossi buddy, when Rossi couldnt get past Pedrosa, hence being 1.5 seconds quicker than anyone on the circuit the previous lap, he just pushed too hard in his bid to gap Rossi, dont think there was any worry involved, but that is circumspect as neither of us are Stoner!
Yes, love watching the qualifying but wouldnt call it a trick, he does it every qualifying, he is just on the pace from the money where as the rest play catch up!
Your right he did come back out, his normal style, he goes quick from lap 1 and your right again, sort of, Rossi wasnt ....ing up the final sector, he just wasnt as quick through it, as he proved through his remaining laps and during the race, most of the guys were closing in by the end of the straight and then Rossi would pull a gap as he was quickest in the first sector. its about three sectors not one.
Show me one one other rider who has done the same on the un rideable Duke, he his good, he won the championship by 125 points, not even Rossi has done that, what you thinking, the rest of the pack just had an off season, lets get real, the boy has bucket loads of talent. Maybe it was his age, who knows, but you really cant question his talent, thats just ignorant!
Im not convinced one bit.
Like i said, he had one of the best bikes 2006 and didnt win.
Yes he\'s found a bike he can win on, and stuck with it....if he had the balls, he would jack it in now and go and ride for Honda again.
I think you are forgetting that Rossi won the championship on 3 different bikes in successive years.
Rossi won the championship on the 500cc 2 stroke...then immediately on the RC211, and then switched to a completely diferent manufacturer and won outright once again....now thats talent!
Could you please point me in the direction where i said Rossi hasnt got talent????????? please listen if your going to respond!
Balls would be Rossi going to Ducati, Yamaha and Honda have always won titles in Moto Gp, never a low budget Italian manufacturer (until Stoner and his 125 point lead, lol), anyway, if your sooooo not convinced one bit, as you say, why dont you give me odds on Stoner winning this year???????
I think you two should play nice. :rollin
I think Stoner won\'t beat Rossi this year because he\'s a confidence rider and he doesn\'t have the tower of iron will and self-belief Rossi has to ignore/overcome/ride around the machinery if it isn\'t giving him the confidence to push. The year he won the title it just all clicked for him and it clearly hasn\'t done yet.
Guys, Kenny Roberts Jr nuked the championship in the year the power vaccuum left by Doohan getting crocked, but the best rider in the world :Nono!? He was never that by a long way, it all just fell into place for him at the right time when everyone else was on the back foot. I feel there was a large element of that good fortune in Stoner\'s championship year, though he\'s clearly on a much much higher plane of talent to KRJR ever was.
Ben\'s Pies is beating Toseland\'s results on the "same bike" for the very simple reason he\'s almost certainly a far better rider. No-one makes Mladin look silly for three years without "knowing some sh!t" as the Yanks would say. I think he will go on to be truly great, but whether the bike can stay with him is another thing. At the moment he\'s on a mega high having decimated all in WSB. and riding on confidence. When the inferior traction control package on his bike fires him into orbit a couple of times he may find he slows down a bit.....
Is traction control in Moto GP generically inferior to the systems used in WSB or is this a problem specific to the bike you are talking about?
As for the WSB riders not \'graduating\' to Moto GP - I think there are any number of professional racers (cars too) who have stayed in \'lower\' formulas in order to make a better living or keep winning. History books are full of people who jumped too early or too late and wound up with the wrong equipment to let them shine.
These days so many racers have been groomed from an early age by eager parents, their careers directed and carefully financed, the number of seats available to racers without serious funding is proportionally fewer. It means relatively unknown \'stars of tomorrow\' already have a promotions manager who handles the t-shirt sales! Talent has always needed help but it does seem as though in every level of motorsport the sums are getting bigger and traditional \'angels\' are harder to find.
Quote from: Nik da Greek;687172I think you two should play nice. :rollin
You know me buddy, i like a good debate, especially on subjects i have a passion for. Just dont appreciate being miss quoted or any of my comments taken out of context.
Rossi is probably one, if not the most talented riders ever, there is no denying that, not that i ever have!
But to "not be convinced one bit" about Stoners talent is just plain naive! He has bucket loads, its plain to see and undeniable :Laugh
Yeah, I know Mr Pilot, we all love a good argument, errrr debate. FWIW don\'t think Dan was trying to deliberately misquote or misrepresent you, just differing opinions is all.
Andrew, no the MotoGP traction control is at a massively higher level than in WSB, when I said that Spies had an inferior package I meant respective to the other Yamahas in the same series. Lorenzo\'s and Rossi\'s bikes are the full works factory machines with the budgets to match, and Edwards\' and Spies\' bikes.....aren\'t. Despite what Tech Trois may say, they\'re in a different league in budget and therefore the electronics packages they can field. It\'ll start to tell as the season wears on I think and the works teams leap ahead with developement the second string teams simply can\'t afford.
I agree wholeheartedly about riders jumping too soon to MotoGp and not having the proper foundation. Rossi was riding from the age of four, it\'s always going to be hard to combat that sort of advantage. If you don\'t have a full factory machine in MotoGP you may as well not turn up at all because not only will you not win, you\'ll be lucky to finish higher than seventh and after a season of underachieving on a hopelessly outclassed machine no-one will sponsor you for the price of your socks let alone a full season\'s racing.
This is the perennial curse of Brits in MotoGP, leaving aside arguments of talent for a moment, they take a ride because they think they have to be in the series, it\'s the ultimate. Then they realise the gulf between works and second-string machinery, maybe hurt themselves trying to override an uncompetitive machine, get dropped and have to spend three or four years running back to "lesser" championships to build their tattered reputation back up. The list of such casualties is endless......Rymer, Hodgson, Emmet, Toseland, Walker, Haslam, etc etc
Simple economics defines who gets the best seats just as much as talent or achievement. Spain and the USA are massive markets for the manufacturers and sponsors, the UK a tiny one. Who gets the works bikes?.....The manufacturers bleat about trying to reduce costs and make racing more competitive, yet as I say they ignore the fact that Traction Control and electronics are the most expensive single aspect of the racing, and it\'s utterly uncontrolled by any rules. Like I keep banging on about, the racing may occaisionally be good to watch, but that\'s an inconsequential side effect, it\'s been a looooooooong time since it was about anything remotely like "sport"
Quote from: jetpilot;687254You know me buddy, i like a good debate, especially on subjects i have a passion for. Just dont appreciate being miss quoted or any of my comments taken out of context.
Rossi is probably one, if not the most talented riders ever, there is no denying that, not that i ever have!
But to "not be convinced one bit" about Stoners talent is just plain naive! He has bucket loads, its plain to see and undeniable :Laugh
I NEVER, EVER, said that you said Rossi hasnt got talent....please quote me out of the posts in this thread.
:rolleyes:
Rossi has won 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, Moto GP 990cc, and Moto GP 800cc world championships.
Casey Stoner has won one Moto GP 800cc world championship.....and NO OTHER!!
Please check the below to compare careers so far;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Stoner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casey_Stoner)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi)
I didnt mis quote anyone.
All i said was " im not convinced "
This was in regards to actually how good Stoner is.
I dont like Stoner....he is bland,he moans, he blames the bike and its components when its doesnt go right, and he also goes awol half way through the year with apparent "health problems" when things arent going right.
So....i dont like him, i dont think he has this "unreal talent", he has as much talent as anyone who has won this championship once.
He winges like a girl when he has to race for position (Laguna Seca 08), and he breaks when he is under pressure.
No i dont think he does have talent.....he\'s a guy who fits in well with a machine.....and i will bet you £100 if he moved to another team, he couldnt compete for the podium.
Quote from: Dan Norton;687644I NEVER, EVER, said that you said Rossi hasnt got talent....please quote me out of the posts in this thread.
Casey Stoner has won one Moto GP 800cc world championship.....and NO OTHER
I dont like Stoner....he is bland,he moans, he blames the bike and its components when its doesnt go right, and he also goes awol half way through the year with apparent "health problems" when things arent going right.
So....i dont like him, i dont think he has this "unreal talent", he has as much talent as anyone who has won this championship once
No i dont think he does have talent.....
:Yawn
Why do you keep referring back to Rossi\'s glorious past, this isnt in debate, we all know he is one of the greatest riders ever, no question........
So good, you dont like Stoner as you say many times above and you dont think he has talent, thats great, as that is my debate and as said before, if you dont think he has talent give me odds against him ;)
LOL....i must admit, i dont like Stoner.
A long way to go in the weekend yet, but i see that the "talentless" Stoner managed to head the free practice, with a time he did on his 3rd flying lap!! :Tongue1
However, towards the end, another front end wash out??
Going on the comments from Ryder and Moody, i had not realised this was the 4th front end wash out this year, 3 last time out including Stoner all on low speed corners. I think i could understand it more on high speed corners where the front is being pushed, but low speed (this one 70 mph ish) doesnt really stack up, repeating the comments of the commentators that is.
So it looks like the Duke has a problem, again echoing the commentators, Nicky Hayden has his bike set up so differently he probably wont be affected, still, damn good to see him up the sharp end in practice again and hopefully he will do the same come qualifying and race day.
And in case you missed practice, Honda testing new engines on monday after complaints from riders, it would seem they are split however, half complaining the engine has no power low down and the other half complaining the chassis is shocking.
Hoping Neil Spalding will pop into commentary for qualifying and tell it how it is, which he usually does.
Still. one thing im still struggling with comprehending, these guys are all on the same engine used last time out, now thats massively impressive when you think of the performance they have!! :Thumbs-up
Awesome race by Lorenzo, weird that he can start slow but just get faster and faster! :yes
I was conviced Pedrosa was going to win it then Lorenzo just stormed through very good race though. Ben was dropping back for a few laps before going in. I must admit I back watching Moto GP after not bothering for a while so its WSB and GP this year I guess.
was a good race indeed, they are just crazy tho. bouncing off each other :eek:
Lorenzo wanted to win that race more than anyone....him and Pedrosa dont get on that much either, so i bet Dani was gutted!
Well done to Nicky Hayden aswell.
Quote from: karl_tate;691114was a good race indeed, they are just crazy tho. bouncing off each other :eek:
If you get chance, watch the Moto 2 race (class that replaced the 250\'s)......its utterally mental racing.
40 riders, all with the same controlled engine, different frames though.....9 bikes battled it out for 1st the entire length of the race....incredible.
Also, a wicked 10 bike crash on the 1st lap!
Quote from: jetpilot;690853A long way to go in the weekend yet........
Yes it was a long way to go :p
yeh i watched the moto 2 race yesterday, it must be a great feeling to be racing like that, true racing. i missed the start tho so will have a look for it.
i felt so sorry for dani tho.
Quote from: karl_tate;691166yeh i watched the moto 2 race yesterday, it must be a great feeling to be racing like that, true racing. i missed the start tho so will have a look for it.
i felt so sorry for dani tho.
There was some commentary to say as soon as you show Dani a wheel up the inside, your as good as past him as he doesnt fight enough! To be fair most of the races he has won he has won by a distance!
Well i am bit shocked, Rossi misses his first race since 1996 and by all accounts wont be back for some time with a broken tibia!!
I hope he has a speedy recovery! :2eek
As you can imagine....i am absolutely gutted!!!
I cant believe it, his season is over.....he will miss at least 4 races.
The only saving grace is if Pedrosa / Hayden / Stoner can take some points away from Lorenzo in that time, as it now looks like he will be world champ this year.
Quote from: Dan Norton;697821As you can imagine....i am absolutely gutted!!!
I cant believe it, his season is over.....he will miss at least 4 races.
The only saving grace is if Pedrosa / Hayden / Stoner can take some points away from Lorenzo in that time, as it now looks like he will be world champ this year.
Dont you like Lorenzo either :rollin
Much as i didnt/dont want Rossi to win the championship, his presence will be missed, as he as i have always said is the man to beat and i partly enjoyed that aspect to the Gp\'s.
So, being realistic, do the Moto gp regular posters on here think this will have an effect on Rossi, not physically but mentally? There has always been plenty of talk of Rossi luck, im not talking his winning, but the fact he has always managed to avoid serious injury and generally come out un scathed from accidents etc Bones heal in this sport, but the mind doesnt, he is not a young guy learning his trade like Lorenzo per say. He is getting on in years (for the sport) and could we also say because of the young guns snapping at his heals caused him to push a little too hard?
I have my doubts if he will be back this season, and with the shoulder injury as well it may be better to take the break then come back like someone else did a while back.
Quote from: Dan Norton;697821I cant believe it, his season is over.....he will miss at least 4 races.
Compound exposed Fracture to his Tibia - 4-6 months.
Quote from: iaint;697875Compound exposed Fracture to his Tibia - 4-6 months.
They were saying 6 weeks....dont forget the miricale treatment pedrosa had on his broken leg last season and he was back riding within 6 weeks....granted, he couldnt walk at all...but his team did hoist him on and off his bike, haha.
Quote from: Dan Norton;697877They were saying 6 weeks....dont forget the miricale treatment pedrosa had on his broken leg last season and he was back riding within 6 weeks....granted, he couldnt walk at all...but his team did hoist him on and off his bike, haha.
Just going off the reporting on Eurosport and BBC online last night. May have changed by this morning though!
Quote from: jetpilot;697863So, being realistic, do the Moto gp regular posters on here think this will have an effect on Rossi, not physically but mentally?
No.
He could have lost the will to win any number of times for several different reasons, and he hasn\'t. I think he\'s got the true multiple champions\' pathological need to keep winning, it\'s what sets people like him into the company of monomaniacal win-addicts like Doohan, Fogarty, Rainey, Ago, etc. Their only motivation is to win for their own sake, they don\'t need yardsticks or competition to motivate themselves.
Whether he can physically recover/in time is another matter, compound fractures aren\'t funny at the best of times
Quote from: Nik da Greek;697885No.
He could have lost the will to win any number of times for several different reasons, and he hasn\'t. I think he\'s got the true multiple champions\' pathological need to keep winning, it\'s what sets people like him into the company of monomaniacal win-addicts like Doohan, Fogarty, Rainey, Ago, etc. Their only motivation is to win for their own sake, they don\'t need yardsticks or competition to motivate themselves.
Whether he can physically recover/in time is another matter, compound fractures aren\'t funny at the best of times
Hence why i gave up bikes, a compound fracture that is, was in plaster for 12 weeks and then i guess 2 - 3 months before i actually felt i had any strength back. However, as much praise as i would give the NHS for the work they did, it certainly wasnt private doctors, surgeons and intensity physio that Rossi will get.
I do concur with you Mr Greek, however, after having 230 consecutive starts its got to have an effect, no matter how mentally tough he is, this is all new to him, its not like a big spill, breakages etc that some other riders have been familiar with. I dont doubt his ability as ever, but i do doubt it will be an easy bounce back to perhaps his complete dominance and 110% ability to push time and time again.
Still, all the best to him and i look forward to his return and a speedy recovery back to Moto Gp, even if its at first seeing him back in the paddock! :)
Funnily enough, whenever I broke stuff during my spells of upside-down riding, it was relatively quick recovery. Except when I snapped the radius head off in my elbow, that was a bit debilitating to be fair. however, even stuff that\'s supposed to be a right PITA like broken collarbone I didn\'t find too bad, it was when I folded my ankle over sideways and tore out all the ligaments, that was a proper b@stard to recover from. Never had a compound fracture though, only boring normal ones lol
The physio said then that ligaments are harder to get fixed than broken bones, but now years after I get much more pain from old breaks than from the ankle, epsecially the elbow which has a big step in the face of the joint where it healed wonky. Cold damp mornings I\'m like a sad old cripple getting out of bed :mad: Actually come to think of it, I am a sad old cripple hahaha :Giggle
:Giggle
One and the same, cold and damp and it aches like a bugger. Cold on its own is fine, not sure why the damp has that added factor.
I know its sort of part and parcel for these guys, and they manage injury far better than i think i can. But you need that strength and it can take months to get the muscle wastage back.
Nice touch from Lorenzo on the podium....didnt think id ever see him wearing a V Rossi tshirt.....unless he was told to! :chat
2 Hondas on the podium, wasnt expecting that!
With a clear track Pedrosa is just awesome, really thought it would be a tight race between him and Lorenzo, couldnt believe it when he just kept taking time out of both of them.
Also hear Stoner is going to Honda next year and find it funny that now someone else is having relative success on the thing (Hayden), Stoner cant ride it, me thinks Ducati are going backwards over last years bike!
Quote from: jetpilot;6979772 Hondas on the podium, wasnt expecting that!
With a clear track Pedrosa is just awesome, really thought it would be a tight race between him and Lorenzo, couldnt believe it when he just kept taking time out of both of them.
Also hear Stoner is going to Honda next year and find it funny that now someone else is having relative success on the thing (Hayden), Stoner cant ride it, me thinks Ducati are going backwards over last years bike!
Unfortunately, a glimpse of the future happened yesterday....no Rossi = a strange muted type atmosphere.
I\'d be lying if i said i was compelled to watch it.......
I know, i know, i\'m a massive Rossi fan.....but unless they can get a new superstar in Moto Gp...its going to be very dull.
Yesterday i found myself cheering for Randy De Puniet and his mental riding.
I think you are being a little blinkered buddy!
As said before i think Rossi is awesome but dot think it will be dull. As is widely talked about now, we have the four "aliens" in Moto Gp. Rossi has been progressively pushed more and more each year, i wouldnt say he is a dead cert for any race now, anyone of those four are in contention whichever circuit they visit. Strange as it is to say at 31 he is the old boy on the block and really cant have too many more years in him, especially if he isnt winning championships, as Mr Greek says, he doesnt race for the fun, he races to win, so if he stops winning he will stop racing, he certainly wont be a Biaggi/Barros type who goes to lower levels to keep riding.
It will be good to have him back however, but his reign of dominance is on its last legs and is im afraid to say, he wont be around for too many more years, so as you say, we had a glimpse of the future. I didnt enjoy the race any the less and still will be an avid watcher due to the heroics of De Puniet, others and hopefully some hard fought races and we will see a new Moto Gp champion, which for me, is only a good thing as it keeps the sport fresh and alive.
I think it\'s symptomatic of the culture Motgp is immersed in rather than just soley the Rossi factor. The very ethos in Motogp is to stifle individuality, turn the riders into polite personality bypassed mobile advertising hoardings for their sponsors. I long for the old days of the greats because by their nature they had the focus and self belief to say "I rode bloody awesomely", not to meekly shuffle their feet, thank their sponsors and team for working so hard and "Hahhhhhnda/Ducaaaati/Yamaha" whoever for building the perfect bike.
The main reason I don\'t like people like Pedrosa is because he isn\'t really a person at all. He\'s just a corporate product, groomed from infancy to do what he does by loathesome maniacs like Alberto Puig and any vestige of personality has been stifled long since. We\'re never gonna hear a quote from people like that to compare with Schwantz\'s "Wait until you see God, then brake" classic, are we? All we get is "Yes, for sure I am very \'appy, and once I feel I can push and I get a good reeedum I can go well and is possible to win. The bike is working very guuud and I would like to thank all......" EDITed for allowing the audience to stay awake to the podium presentation...zzzzzz
Kill them all, kill them with fire and give us people with a personality instead. And no, I don\'t mean Stoner\'s brand of childish rattle-throwing either
Quote from: jetpilot;698062I think you are being a little blinkered buddy!
As said before i think Rossi is awesome but dot think it will be dull. As is widely talked about now, we have the four "aliens" in Moto Gp. Rossi has been progressively pushed more and more each year, i wouldnt say he is a dead cert for any race now, anyone of those four are in contention whichever circuit they visit. Strange as it is to say at 31 he is the old boy on the block and really cant have too many more years in him, especially if he isnt winning championships, as Mr Greek says, he doesnt race for the fun, he races to win, so if he stops winning he will stop racing, he certainly wont be a Biaggi/Barros type who goes to lower levels to keep riding.
It will be good to have him back however, but his reign of dominance is on its last legs and is im afraid to say, he wont be around for too many more years, so as you say, we had a glimpse of the future. I didnt enjoy the race any the less and still will be an avid watcher due to the heroics of De Puniet, others and hopefully some hard fought races and we will see a new Moto Gp champion, which for me, is only a good thing as it keeps the sport fresh and alive.
I am being blinkered....im not blinkered in anything in life other than moto gp :Giggle
As i said above, being a massive Rossi fan, it was dull for me....and when his last year comes, it will be very sad.
Rossi is 6 months older than me, so growing up watching him from the same age he started 125\'s, i got my first bike.
I know i drone on and on about Rossi, but for me, it has that added sense of sadness due to the fact it he isnt going to be riding top level moto gp racing and makes me realise i\'m not getting any younger! :rolleyes:
Interesting to see if Stoner does move back to Honda, that story really is starting to gain momentum.
If he does, i have absolutely no doubt Rossi will move to Ducati.
He already said live on tv at the beginning of this year that Yamaha need to choose between him and Lorenzo at the end of this year.
As much as Yamaha love Rossi, it makes sense to keep hold of Lorenzo.
If Rossi does go to Ducati, that is a dream combo for me...being a massive Ducati fan aswell :Giggle
Quote from: Nik da Greek;698067Kill them all, kill them with fire and give us people with a personality instead. And no, I don\'t mean Stoner\'s brand of childish rattle-throwing either
Hahaha. :Giggle
Colin Edwards is the only one in that field now who has a personality worth adhering to...unfortunately, he\'s not the best rider out there.
I think my favourite riders were Frankie Chile, classic when he went storming out his motor home in his dressing gown to have words, only an Italian would do that and that mad Kawasaki rider whos name escapes me at the moment!
And some quality British riders,
Walker
Whitham
I like characters as much as the next guy, but also recognise talent and marvel at the sheer ability of some of these guys even if they are corporate faces void of character or a personality we can gel too.
Moto Gp will survive without Rossi, another guy will take his place, just like he did Doohan.
Quote from: jetpilot;698087I think my favourite riders were Frankie Chile, classic when he went storming out his motor home in his dressing gown to have words, only an Italian would do that and that mad Kawasaki rider whos name escapes me at the moment!
And some quality British riders,
Walker
Whitham
I like characters as much as the next guy, but also recognise talent and marvel at the sheer ability of some of these guys even if they are corporate faces void of character or a personality we can gel too.
Moto Gp will survive without Rossi, another guy will take his place, just like he did Doohan.
Do you mean Scott Russell for Kawasaki?
He was a nutcase aswell.
Then the one that tops them all for sure lunacy and weirdness was John Kocinski.....the only person who could fall out with himself :Giggle
My god, the guy had talent though....he won Superbikes, 250\'s, 500 Grand Prix.
Do you know he\'s a really successful property developer / estate agent now selling mansions to the stars in California.
I was never a Doohan fan, and was pleased when he retired.
Not Scott Russel, i think it was Anthony someone, sideways absolutely everywhere on that dog of a Zx7rr. He wasnt around long, got in trouble for drugs etc
Mr Greek will surely remind me.
Anthony Gobert!
Yup...i remember him well.....he also won Bimota\'s only ever WSB race when half the field crashed out....wasnt it raining if i remember?
You do remember correctly, it was on the SB8 TL1000-engined Bimota thing. The next race it ate its crankcase and launched him up the road. Think he went to lose himself in the GP wilderness after that, a real shame and a massive waste of talent when he went off the rails. Few people ever had the raw natural talent on a bike he did.
Koscinski used to Hoover his motorhome like eight times a day, even in the middle of the night! He had soem OCD cleanliness fetish apparently, used to iron his socks and stuff! I remember him doing an interview when he went to Honda and all he went on about was how much nicer the HRC socks he got were than the ones he\'d got anywhere else like at Ducati or anything. Mad as a fish!
Quote from: Nik da Greek;698193OCD cleanliness fetish apparently
:Giggle
Never heard of OCD being a fetish.............. :Giggle
Yep, that was the fella, The Go Show, really liked him, although i forgot his name, i think he was the original strip out his leathers and lob them into the crowd.
Anyone who could win on that Zx7rr was a legend and more so that Bimota, think he retired back to the AMA than back to Australia.
Yeah, can\'t remember the chronology for sure, he rode the Bimota after he\'d been busted out of GPs for drugtaking and general random behaviour, didn\'t he? He took a p!ss in Hodgdson\'s crash helmet when they were teammates, which I found quite funny, but then I am childish!
I use to like Aaron Slight, he was harder than a coffin nail and with hindsight, to keep the RC45 up as close to the front as long as he did speaks volumes for his skill. Perhaps under-rated at the time, a shame really. He started riding in New Zealand championship, which made the Irish roads look safe. The "Cemetary Circuit" involved a stretch through, you guessed it, a cemetary (imagine crashing into a gravestone at 130!) and at one point went over a level crossing over the railway! Incredible!
Well if i known he had taken a .... in Hodgson\'s helmet i think i would have liked him more!!!!
Does anyone else have that thought that it should have been Walker not Hodgson getting all the good rides?????????
So 2010 over bar the shouting for 2nd, 3rd etc
Not the best season to watch and although i think Lorenzo has been awesome, i think his win is more down to the fact there was never really a consistent challenge from a single rider, the other three contenders all had their issues, but i guess thats what winning is all about!
Rossi, obviously his big crash!
Stoner, front end issues (not just his Ducati before any of the Rossi fanboys get on his case)!
Pedrosa, bike just not good at the start of the season and when it does get good, once again he his plagued by bad crash injuries, i got to say, feel so so sorry for him, every time he comes of he seems to f*uck something up and badly!
So onto next year and big change all round really!
I hope it will be a better battle next year and with any luck, with Spies performance on the Tech 3 you got to think a true works bike will see him up there with the other four.
And certainly interested in 2012, where i think it reverts to 1000cc.
Yea, its been at bit anti-climatic this year.
Stoner falling off all the time, then pulls out back to back wins.
Pedrosa crashing big again, and breaking bones again.
Rossi, crashing big for the first time in his career.
Lorenzo.....just having the most consistent year going while everyone else had massive issue\'s.
Good to Vale back to form today, from 10th to 1st in 10 laps....classic Vale.
Next year is going to be vintage.
Big egos\' on all the factory bikes, Spies moving upto factory Yam, Cal Crutchlow on Tech 3!
Hopefully we\'ll see more bikes on the grid, but it appears not with Suzuki going down to 1 bike!
Good article in Performance Bikes last month about when Yamaha finally saw sense and started leasing YZRs out to privateers in order to try to save the series from the dwindling entry lists. Millar were the only ones to afford to lease the first year and ran McWilliams on one for a year before ROC, Harris et al stepped in and leased some others to fill the grids. The field now has to made be larger, and made up of more bikes capable of running at the front. I am a rabid bike fan, and I just simply CBA to watch most of this season, it\'s just of no interest, no personalities left in the face of corporate sponsor PR steamrollers, no relevance to real-world bikes, just no interest really. Moto2 is good. WSB is good. BSB is good...Motogp is.....academic. In my busy busy 21st Century life I simply don\'t have time to waste on something that bores me more often than not simply out of a perverse sense of loyalty
Perhaps not in touch with bike trends as much as Mr Greek, but still enjoy the Moto Gp, i have watched every race but admit some have been switched off early due to as said, the academic nature of in some races knowing who will win in the first 5 laps or so!
Mr Greek, correct me if i am wrong but is the dwindling grid not one of the reasons for the move back to 1000cc? There has been a lot of commentator chat about the small grid this season and cutbacks in spending due to the economic climate and the making of an 800cc engine which doesnt appear in any shape or form in a road bike. It is mentioned that if its a 1000cc they will so to speak use the basic design of say an R1, GSXR etc block for whichever manufacturer thus keeping costs down and hopefully increasing the grid. Also the cutbacks in spending and testing time are not allowing the up and coming riders, Bautista, Espergaro etc to get used to the bikes as the only time they get any real time on the bike is race day, testing has been cut and practice sessions.
They also suggest that this will make the racing aspect much closer as the 800\'s are so close to each other that there are no variables, i.e its literally small tweaks that put you ahead in 800\'s but if it was a 1000\'s you could have say a not on the money handling 1000 but if you had monster power it would make up for slightly off handling, tyres etc
Characters is a difficult one, i am not sure we will ever see characters like the past and most riders these days are groomed from an early age and are pr packages plain and simple. I dont think we get to see the real characters of any racer these days i think thats one thing we will have to get use to.
Pleased for Biaggi by the way, but almost find that laughable that his current engine will now be banned as everyone complained its too fast.
I think the global recession is the primary cause for the dwindling entrants, tbh. If firms the size of Kawasaki feel that racing is a pointless frippery that can be economised then it\'s small surprise that numbers have fallen. Remember that the money Kawasaki make from bike sales is minute compared to their income from their real business of supertankers, nuclear submarines and heavy plant. 800s were a thinly veiled attempt to keep the series fresh under the veneer of reducing costs and adding safety, but it was purely an excercise in smoke and mirrors by Dorna. Since there\'s no spending cap in place, why would it reduce costs (the limited engine rule was a patch bunged on this season, don\'t forget). The safety argument is a farce when the 800s are faster almost everywhere than the 1000s were. I think the 800s were simply a chance to placate manufacturers by giving those who were struggling a chance to steal a march on that blank sheet of paper, and nothing more.
I dunno what the answer is tbh, but I certainly don\'t think it\'s fiddling and changing the rules wholsale every other season, it certainly hasn\'t worked with the sterile spectacle that was Formula One. Maybe a budget cap for the year, so you can spend it on whatever you like, if you want the best electronics suite the world has ever seen, fine, but it\'ll take your entire budget to do it, so you better pray it doesn\'t get damaged during the season. If you wanna build a rocketship engine, fine, but when it blows up and you don\'t have the budget to replace it.....
Personally, I believe the electronics should be banned completely. No traction control, nothing. That would remove the single most expensive component and its support and also re-introduce the idea of the rider being the deciding factor as to whether a bike goes fast or not. Oh, and force the manufacturers to franchise customer bikes again, and proper works-level machinery, not ropey old donkeys that can only plod round five seconds a lap slower than the works bikes. Maybe if you bring in some privateers and let the riders feel it\'s them that make the difference, some shred of personaltiy may re-assert itself?
I think the limited engine rule is a lot of old toss to be fair, if you want an engine to last longer go endurance racing! I am not really sure i like the fuel limits either, look at the Yams this weekend, easily on par with the Hondas and Dukes because the race distance was shortened thus allowing them to burn that little bit more fuel to compete on the straights! In fact i dont like any of the limits imposed, tyres etc etc This is supposed to be the pinnacle of bike racing, not the pinnacle of inducing limits! I guess that then really makes the sport a "whoever has the biggest budget" type affair, but arent we seeing that in every avenue of sport these days, football, F1 etc etc
I know your a big fan of no electronics, i guess i dont feel as strongly as you on this one, maybe you would sort out the men from the boys, but as with F1, these are really prototype development trials!
I guess this year hasnt really been the spectacle i would like it to have been, i am not sure there is any one reason for that to be honest and more so, perhaps nothing to do with mentioned from above!
I enjoyed the Stoner domination season but i think the last season i really really enjoyed was the Hayden championship year! Until the last race, it could have gone either way and i guess if Moto Gp is to reach its hype and previous glory we need seasons like that and its up to the riders and Dorna to give us that. Unfortunately there will be a lot of Rossi fanboys who probably wont follow MotoGp (as much) when he leaves so they need to fill that void too!
Get rid of 800cc engines. get rid of electronics such as anti wheelie and traction control.
Thats the most obvious improvements you could have.
The 800 thing they are acting on, hence why we will see 1000cc engines 2012.
In regards to electronics, the majority of riders are all in favour of getting rid, so hopefully they will act on that aswell.
I\'ll still follow Moto GP when Rossi decides to call it a day, maybe not to the extent i do now, but like everytime a mega superstar with his talent graces any motorsport, it will always gain more fans.
I just hope we get a top class Brit to cheer on in Moto GP in the next 10 years.....someone who we can really get behind and know he has a chance at the title if he is on a factory machine.
Bradley Smith is looking favourite to be there, but still the jury is out if he has the little bit extra thats needed to be a champion!
You see, i dont think Bradley does.
He\'s had a couple of really, really good bikes over the last two years.
Scott Redding has picked up in Moto 2.
So, that was that....a season of dominance from Jorge in the end, and he was a well deversved victor yesterday after almost falling off early on in the race.
At least Rossi finished higher than Stoner overall, even after missing 4 races, and not being fit for the following 4......seems thats 1 year out of the following 3 to Rossi then Jetpilot?
:D
Agreed, do i owe some money to MRC?
Lorenzo has been stunning this year, i think i heard yesterday, only off the podium once and the front row twice when it came to qaulifying. I was a little bit dubious yesterday when Simoncelli would give him an inch, it annoyed me when he started shaking his head, thats racing, get on with it, i hope he doesnt start to become a bit up himself!
Highlight for me is Rossi being beaten by his team mate for the first time ever!!
Although i have never doubted his ability as you Rossi fanboys think, i will be very very interested to see how he gets on with the Ducati next year as people with far more knowledge of the riders and bikes have said Rossi likes his bike as a complete working package, something the Ducati is far from, not my words before i get flamed! Apparently Stoner has just been able to ride around its flaws, again not my words!
Anyway really looking forward to next year, some interesting moves in teams and do think Lorenzo will be difficult to beat, dont think Spies is as good, but will be good to see him on a true works bike and factory support, dont think Stoner will do that well on the Honda as its been designed with Pedrosa in mind and imho think Rossi is making a huge statement by his move and even i hope its not a move he regrets.
I stand corrected once again however! :)
Predictions for next year or do i need to ask.............
[/QUOTE]if he had the balls, he would jack it in now and go and ride for Honda again.[/QUOTE]
Well i hope you can agree he now has balls!
Anyway, not my point to a reply!
The first tests were on Eurosport last night, pretty cool!
Lorenzo fastest with Stoner 500ths off
and excellent news Spies only a quarter of a 2nd back
Pedrosa, Simoncelli, Hayden all about half a second
Rossi 1.6 seconds back.