MotoGP 2011 chat thread.

[Sully]

So who else follows MotoGP? Season kicks off next weekend in Qatar, for those not entirely up to date here's the top 3 teams from last year and their new lineups for this year.

Yamaha Factory Racing
Jorge Lorenzo
Ben Spies

Ducati Team
Valentino Rossi
Nicky Hayden

Repsol Honda Team
Andrea Dovizioso
Dani Pedrosa
Casey Stoner

I reckon all 7 of those guys are capable of winning races so it should be another epic year. Rossi on a Ducati is going to make for awesome viewing at the Italian races. It's going to be good to see what Spies can do on a top bike, the fella has a lot of potential. All that aside though, I hope Stoner has a good year after the last few with his health problems and the abortion of a bike Ducati gave him last year.

As long as all the bikes are good though, it should be another Rossi-Lorenzo-Stoner-Pedrosa shoot out at least.

[TJ]

The Honda has been a ROCKET in testing.

The Yamaha handles but has no power

The Duke has been shit.

[DISTRBD]

The Duke has been shit.


Just like Yamaha was shit but look what Rossi did with it :)

[Sully]

Yeah by the end of last year the Honda was the bike to beat as well wasn't it? Once Pedrosa was all mended from his crash he was outta there. Is Honda running 3 factory bikes or are they doing the satellite bike like they were talking about last year?

I'd actually quite like to see Rossi on a shit bike so we can watch him work his magic.

[Tones]

Honda are running 4 factory bikes. marco simoncelli is on the fourth.

I think with Rossi still not 100% it's hard to tell where it truly is. He missed most of if not all on 1 the test days. Had many options they did t get to try. Maybe Give it a few more weekends and then judge the bike. I would loved to have seen it on the top of the testing time sheets but will have to wait and see. I'm praying he can work his magic again on the ducatti.

Will be going to the Philip island round later in the year after watching the superbikes last month.

[Butcher]

I don't foresee Rossi doing anything spectacular this year except a few big stacks. The Duke has always been a brutal bike to ride, i think rossi is getting to old to throw it around at pace to stay at the front compounded with injuries past and present, he should of picked an easier bike to ride.

Spies and lorenzo will be at the pointy end with pedroza close behind. Stoner should be fast once he gets some confidence back and coming from such an aggressive bike the honda will be a breeze for him, allowing to push hard at the front.

[zeroyon]

I hope the dog lorenzo does poorly but I suspect he will not.

Stoner is the best combo "IF" he gets his head back in the game.

I think(although I think he is the legend of all time) Rossi will struggle on the Ducati and is getting older.

I really hope that Spies chops up lorenzo bad ! Outside chance he will to.

Dovi and Pedrosa will be there with pedrosa up the pointy end but not always winning. Good chance for the champ for pedrosa due to average wins.

Thats my pre-season go at it.

Anyone know of good motogp tipping site ???

[Jazza]

I don't foresee Rossi doing anything spectacular this year except a few big stacks. The Duke has always been a brutal bike to ride, i think rossi is getting to old to throw it around at pace to stay at the front compounded with injuries past and present, he should of picked an easier bike to ride.


Well that's not exactly true is it? Most of Casey's problems were falling off towards the START of the races meaning its likely a set up problem rather than a problem with the front end of the bike otherwise it would of been shown up more often when the tires were going off.. I don't think Vale will be up there towards the start of the year but he wasn't brought to Ducati for just that, he is there to develop the bike properly something Stoner clearly was no good at. Give him a few months and hopefully he's towards the front end and it's a contender for next year. Then chuck him on Ducatis new SBK in 2013 when they're back in WSBK and watch him dominate! Hopes n dreams hahaha

On another note.. go Spies! Hope he gives Lorenzo a hard time.

[Sully]

Stoner had stacks all through races last year though didn't he? As soon as he started pushing hard the front would wash out. He usually stacked it at the start because that's when you usually push hard. He had stacks mid race last year a few times with the same problem. He just couldn't push the bike. Hayden was absolutely nowhere on it last year as well.

Def agree on Rossi being a way better developer of the bike than Casey though. Also remember he's taken a lot of his mechanics and engineers with him to Ducatti as well.

[Jazza]

The riders don't push it really hard at the start of the race? They push it as hard as they believe is ok on the cold tires? That's up to their judgments.. that's like saying an F1 driver goes bananas on his out lap.. that just ruins tires and your race except of a GP bike a bit of slide and your off completely! I believe most of the problem was Stoner but time will tell. Rossi has already changed to the forks (48mm) Stoner was having problems with and ditched.

Stoner is a brilliant rider and given the right equipment can win world championships but I don't think he's that great at setting the bike up or developing a bike. Lorenzo only won the world championship because Rossi developed that Yahama.. before he was there it wasn't at the level it is now.

In relation to Nicky I just think he is slightly below the Stoner, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Rossi and dare I say Spies class level. He's a fairly good consistent rider and is a good partner for Rossi imo but I wouldn't expect him to ever win another world title..

Really looking forward to watching Spies on a factory bike tbh. Great character and bulk loads of talent. Simoncelli (spelling) is another who seems very quick and given more support from Honda will raise a few eye brows.

I think Crutchlow will be a waste of time, big step down for the Monster Yahama team imo.

[DISTRBD]

Then chuck him on Ducatis new SBK in 2013 when they're back in WSBK and watch him dominate! Hopes n dreams hahaha


Rossi n Bayliss be a good team

[Jazza]

Wow.. just had an accident in my pants :( If ONLY Bayliss was a few years younger, imagine that!

[Sully]

The riders don't push it really hard at the start of the race? They push it as hard as they believe is ok on the cold tires? That's up to their judgments.. that's like saying an F1 driver goes bananas on his out lap.. that just ruins tires and your race except of a GP bike a bit of slide and your off completely! I believe most of the problem was Stoner but time will tell. Rossi has already changed to the forks (48mm) Stoner was having problems with and ditched.

This is true. And yeah I remember them talking about swapping out the forks at just about every race towards the end of last year. I obviously don't know a whole lot about the ins and outs of bikes and how they use their suspension and tyres but is it possible that the duke just had troubles getting and keeping heat in the front tyre? Would that kinda go hand in hand with Stoners out lap ritual?

[T-Diddy]

right, dont have anything constructive right now to ad to thread, but
FUCK YES other people watch it...

ill have random bits of info as i find it, through the season

[urabus]

As much as I love Rossi I think it was a mistake going to Ducati. He is not as fast as he once was (understandable) and making the duke work properly is going to be a monumental task. I also think he is still having trouble with his shoulder.

My top 3 for the year (in no particular order) are Lorenzo, Spedrosa and stoner. I hope Lorenzo cartwheels it on the out lap of practise one in Qatar and ends up in a wheel chair. Have a particular dislike for the kid.

Brendon

[Jazza]

Stoner mainly complained about a lack of feedback from the front end, again something that can be solved with set up. Although Nicky wasn't as quick u never heard much of him whining..

Rossi had nothing left to do at Yamaha so finishing his career on an Italian bike that needs some development works suits him perfectly. In relation to his shoulder its the same as any sport injury, it'll take time to get back the strength and flexibility in it!

It's funny not many ppl seem to like Lorenzo, I don't hope he hurts himself just gets outdone by Spies!

[Tones]

Yep same here. Not a fan of Lorenzo and hope Spies kicks his ass.

[[FFOUR]]

I'm a Ben Spies fan since his WSBK battles with Haga, so I'm hoping he can win the title this year. Helps that he is on a Yamaha too!

Rossi on a Ducati will be good to watch as mentioned, can't wait for the season to get underway.

[zeroyon]

I've setup a MotoGP tipping comp for work.

If their is interest I can setup an Antilag Leauge for us to compete for shitz n giggles.

Anyone keen ?

[doriae86]

id be in!

[Sully]

People don't like Lorenzo for the same reason that people don't like Alonso in F1, he de-throned the champ! Lorenzo took it to Rossi, Alonso did the same to schumacher. They're just the opposition.

I don't like him either though but fuck me he's had some entertaining stacks!

Just looking at the Honda team, who do you lot reckon will come out on top? Stoner, Spedrosa, and Dovi. Can't believe I hadn't heard Spedrosa before now. Bought disgrace to my family n shit. :(

[zeroyon]

Lorenzo took it to Rossi

bzzzz wrong

1> Rossi was injured, not a clean win.
2> Lorenzo post win antics are freaking annoying and crap.
3> Lorenzo is not liked in the pit paddock which says something.
4> Wouldnt shake Spies hand post race
5> He is arrogant and expects other riders to give way.
6> Caused accidents - ie oil down all the way down the track and broken limbs resulted.
7> He's a filthy spanish Hijo de puta.

:)


I agree the honda team battle will be epic. Although I like Dovi I don't think he will be in it at all.

Pedrosa and Stoner could get messy, x-rivals and they could be each others worst enemy. Hope the opposite is true and they become an un-beatable team !

[Jazza]

Agreed ^^^

Also agree that Dovi isn't aggressive enough on the bike and doesn't have the raw pace of the other two. Even Simoncelli will out do Dovi if he gets enough factory bits imo!

I watched Spies in WSBK too and although bein a Ducati fan I was still happy with him winning. Last year he was so impressive imo, I don't think it's out of the question for him to out perform Lorenzo just will be a tough task

[Darkside]

Despite being a Ducati owner and Rossi fan, my money is on Stoner to do the bizz this year. He has been consistently quick in all preseason testing and was quickest at the last test at Qatar. After spending a few years struggling on the difficult to manage Ducati I think he will really hammer on the much more user friendly Honda.

My long term tip is Rossi kicking arse when they return to thous in 2012.

[Jazza]

Agreed ^^^ Him and Pedrosa will be an awesome battle!

There's a lot less disagreements in this thread than the F1 thread.. hahaha

[Sully]

haha just wait for the season to start and the first questionable overtaking move to happen.

Does Lorenzo have any fans outside of Spain?

[DISTRBD]

Looks like Rossi was just playing around , 13th to 5th :)

http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2011/motogp+report+fp1



http://resources.motogp.com/2011/03/17/stoner_11_preview_block_169.jpg

[Tones]

LOL and people doubted Rossi. I realise its only the first session but its a very good sign!!

and Spies in front of Lorenzo. YAY!!

[Butcher]

^^^ It is early days but .7 per lap is a long way off the pace on a bike that gets harder to ride as the race goes on.

[Jazza]

Stoner smashing the times. Wonder if it'll translate into the race! Seems like this could be an easy one

[Butcher]

The honda showed some real form late last season, and looks alot easier to ride on the limit than the rest of the field. It's expect to show on the technical tracks. Bring on race 1.

[Wrexter]

Anyone watching quali?

Stoner and Honda are on fire.

I don't normally watch MotoGP, trying to get in to it to fill gaps between f1 weekends.

[zeroyon]

Stoner is chopping hard !!

Average lap is faster that Lorenzos best lap !!

Shame lorenzo got into 3rd and front row though :(

Hanging out for the race tommorow. I hope Stoner just walks away with it , will all come down to his start.

[Butla]

Cant wait for the race in the morning!! Cant believe how fast stoner is straight out of the blocks on race tyres, amazing! Quite funny to see how Rossi is now slower on the ducati than what stoner was last year.

[Jazza]

It's a completely different bike being set up completely different by an injured rider bud, not to say Casey wasn't quick on it but he's doin quiet well so far :)

[Kilma]

Professional qualifier takes it again. Be interesting to see if he can hold out past the first 5 laps on a Hoonda.

[Butcher]

Wow having the alarm go off at 2am for the first time this year was rude.
As expected stoner was in a completely different class to all the other riders.
Kinda reminded be of the mick doohan days, no other rider could sustain a decent challenge and within a few laps had dispatched Pedrosa and rode into the distance. Then the battle between pedrosa and lorenzo was a pearler but after battling to stay with stoner he wore out and lorenzo went through.
Stoner looked fresh after the race but ped looked like he had just run a marathon.

Definitely watch the race replay if you missed it last night as there is some great racing.

[Darkside]

^^^ Yeah< a fairly predeicable result. Stoner is looking in good form and physically very fit. Broke Pedrosa well and then finished a sensible gap ahead without getting too silly an dchucking it.

Poor ol Pedrosa had a pretty long face. Physical fitness issues apparently.

Jorge celebrated way to hard for someone that LOST the race IMHO. :) Good job to finish second on his Yam, but you were still the first loser!! :)

Average effort by Rossi. (other than a kind of spectacular but unsuccessful start) I predict Ducati languishing all season and focussing on there 1000cc bike for 2012.

[Butcher]

Yeah was amusing watching lorenzo partying like he had just won the championship again. Simoncelli and Dovi will have to be watched as they look like they could threaten to upset the lead riders on those honda's.

[EVLO]

Awesome first race to start the season!! Gonna be an epic year i think.

[Tocchi]

Definitely watch the race replay if you missed it last night as there is some great racing.

what time is the replay?
i managed to stay awake until the warm up lap... then :(

[Jazza]

Hm.. I don't like Lorenzo much but I do understand why he was so happy. He pushed very hard to beat 4 out of 5 bikes that were better than his. Probably wouldn't of if Danny didn't have his own issues as he was very quick. Good solid performance by Rossi for where he & the bike is atm imo!

[zeroyon]

He pushed very hard to beat 4 out of 5 bikes that were better than his.

Not convinced there is "that" much advantage on the honda. Jorge is used to having the best setup bike. You could see how easily Pedrosa took stoner on the straight so the riding style was playing a big part.

Personally I think he did really well to finish second. I think his reaction was full douche spec. Have some humilty man !! He should have really been congratulating stoner for going to a new team, riding a new bike and winning the first race !! Pretty special effort. We see how the same switch ended up for Rossi.

Was an awesome race but !!

[Jazza]

Pedrosa was ALWAYS faster coming out of that last turn so whenever he picked Stoners slip stream up it was easy.. looking at the speeds his bike was no quicker than Stoners. The hp difference was obvious imo which just makes the rider that much better from Lorenzo.

Again Rossi has been able to do SFA in testing due to his injury that he's still recovering from, has completely changed the bike around from when Casey had it and there's some ppl expecting him to challenge right away? You're on crack pipes.. and you sound like the stupid OneHD commentators. He did amazing to get anywhere near Spies on that factory Yamaha. Listen to the actual guys who comment on the race who have some idea! Give him until he middle of the year to start getting somewhere with the bike. It's not like Stoners situation where you jump on the best bike that's easy to ride and go from there..

[zeroyon]

Well this is interesting ->

Stoner top speed - 325.7
Jorge - 321.4
Pedrosa - 324.4

BUT

Spies - 325.8

Soo I am still suggesting its bike setup / riding style over the yamaha being down on power. Specially when his team mate is faster then any of the Hondas.

[esky]

what was the ducati's top speed out of interest?

[zeroyon]

Hector Barbarra topped the sheet on his ducati - 330.2

Well above everyone else - very weird I say !!

Rossi - 324
Hayden - 323.9

Spilt a hair between those two.

[Tones]

For people who are satin the switch was bad for Rossi at least wait till he's 100% fit before you judge. As been said, it's was a good effort considering.

[Jazza]

Did Jorge get much of a tow in that race at all down the straight? I don't really remember that happening where as Spies was sitting behind Rossi's Ducati a fair few times and managed to fling past him a few times because of it...

[Butcher]

Nah he got left for dead on the straight.

[Jazza]

Yeh I think the drive and traction from the Honda out of that last corner was too much for Lorenzo to get close enough to the back of them hints why his top speed was down as he never caught a tow from anyone.. I maybe wrong there though.

[zeroyon]

I actually suspect Pedrosa's gearing was different, even to Stoners.

There was one close up were stoner was behind, right on the back of pedrosa out of the corner on the same line and pedrosa just walked away. I can't see any way he could do that without a difference in gearing. Unless Stoner was really stuffing the throttle control which I just can't see.

I also think Loreno bike geared well for the twistys but suffered on the straight accordingly.

To sound like a broken record I think the Yamaha and Honda making very close HP. I really doubt that if the HP difference was as great as lorenzo makes out that he would end up ahead of Dovi. I don't think he is that good !!!

[Jazza]

I beg to differ.. I don't rate Dovi anywhere near the class of the front three.
Dani is a smaller rider so is able to accelerate away slightly quicker like off the starts. He had a different line to Stoner in the final corner which we saw over and over. I think Lorenzo is down on hp but not as much as he makes it out to be..

[zeroyon]

The arguement at my work is that the Yamaha and Honda same peak HP but the Honda has a better fuel management strategy that allows them to use the power more often and longer.

Not sure about that one myself ....

I agree Dovi is not skill wise as good as the top three but if the extra hp was there is would allow him to make some great runs on the straight at lorenzo and the others.

Next few races will tell us more I guess :)

[Jazza]

Possibly similar power simply with less traction? Fuel management doesn't seem very logical otherwise they would be even at the start of the races and they weren't..
Also re Dovi.. only if he can keep up in the corners though?
Personally I am hoping Dani gets his fitness up so he can keep that pace up, thought he had Stoner for a little while there!

[Darkside]

On the drive out of that last corner, I was a bit in the camp of it being Pedrosa's fly weight helping him out a bit......but then it didnt seem evident in other corners........

[Butcher]

It's honda's engine management that allows them to bolt out of the corners, simply able to crack open the throttle earlier and harder without bagging the rear tyre giving them the edge to break the slip effect from the following bike.

[Darkside]

^^^ There ws a bit where they had the telemetry up for both bikes. Dont know how accurate it is but Pedrosa was definately getting 100% throttle on sooner than Stoner.

[Butcher]

That is because ped has a lot of confidence in the bike, where as stoner is still getting a feel for it. If he cracked the throttle that hard and early on the duke it would spin up and try to spit him off.

[Jazza]

Nothing to do with rider styles or bike set up? And the Ducati has traction issues too now does it? Jeeez you sure know a lot about these bikes!

[Sully]

Did anyone notice the commentary was about a second or so behind the picture or is it just my pvr playing up again?

[Tones]

dont know was watching it off the motogp website.

[Jazza]

Disappointing that Rossi dropped the bike and the second bike was using a different set up. Stoner looks like he could be in for another win if Pedrosa runs into that problem with his hand again!

[Sully]

Rossi's drop was a carbon copy of so many of Stoner's from last year. Still a fair bit of work to be done on that bike before it's at the front again. It's a shame, I'd love to see 3 manufacturers all with top riders going at it for every race. The last few years have been epic for that.
I think Stoner is going to comfortably win this race barring any weird problems. Pedrosa doesn't look fit and I don't think anyone else has the pace to keep up. He looked fresh as after the last race, Pedrosa looked like he'd just been raped!

[Jazza]

There's nothing wrong with Pedrosa's fitness at all? It's a problem caused by a plate which stops blood flow to his hand which is why he's having it removed after this race.. I guess you just haven't been paying attention? lol

[Lozzle]

Rossi's drop was a carbon copy of so many of Stoner's from last year. Still a fair bit of work to be done on that bike before it's at the front again. It's a shame, I'd love to see 3 manufacturers all with top riders going at it for every race. The last few years have been epic for that.
I think Stoner is going to comfortably win this race barring any weird problems. Pedrosa doesn't look fit and I don't think anyone else has the pace to keep up. He looked fresh as after the last race, Pedrosa looked like he'd just been raped!

do problems include being totally taken out by Rossi?

Edit: Ohhhh and simoncelli is down too!!

[TJ]

LOL @ all the marshalls jumping to help Rossi and not one of them went to Stoner.

[Lozzle]

Yea I don't blame him for being completely pissed off about that.

[Crispymk2]

FUUUU broadcast fail :(

[TJ]

There goes Ben!

[zeroyon]

Soooooo emo @ Rossi !!!

WTF Simoncelli and Spies !!!

[TJ]

LOL !!!!

Stoner to Rossi "its ok your ambition outweighed your talent"

Fuck if he wanted to do something to fire up Rossi... that might be just it.

[Jazza]

Hahahahahha that's the dumbest thing I think I've EVER heard come out of a riders mouth? Yes it was Rossi's mistake no question but your questioning his talent after he's won 9 world titles? Duhhhhhhh what a fucktard :P

Quiet happy with how that race ended up, shame Vale didn't hold up n pass him a bit later on, could of won the race but instead bloody Lorenzo!! lol

[[FFOUR]]

Gotta be one of the funniest races I've watched, Stoners comment and Lorenzo slipping into the lake afterwards. Would've loved Spies to make it a Yamaha 1-2 but it wasn't to be.

[Tones]

With Val had of taken out Lorenzo. Meh, stoner will do

[mr_mike]

the one time i didnt bother watchin the GP as its usually pretty boring to watch and shit happens.
I usually just watch the 125's and the Moto2 much more intresting competetive races i reckon

[Sully]

There's nothing wrong with Pedrosa's fitness at all? It's a problem caused by a plate which stops blood flow to his hand which is why he's having it removed after this race.. I guess you just haven't been paying attention? lol

Not being able to physically perform at his best counts as not being fit in my book. I know it's the plate and not aerobic fitness or strength or anything like that. I'm not having a dig at his prep for the year or anything, he just can't do his best at the moment. Didn't seem to have an impact on him today by the looks of it though, less speed and strain on it than normal.

I'd love to know what was going through Stoners head when he got thrown off by that fucking red bike again. Things a curse for him haha!

Simoncelli looked like he was about to burst into tears in his garage after he came off. Don't think he'll be sleeping well tonight, constant replays in his head. Also looked like he might have hurt his wrist in the stack, was clenching it a fair few times after he picked himself up.

Edwards must be massively emo at whatever crapped itself on his bike. I don't remember the last time I saw him anywhere near the podium. So many riders so close today.

[Lozzle]

MOTOGP - You're doing it wrong!


http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/files/2011-jerez-motogp-rossi-and-stoner-crash-talk%202.jpg



http://www.ultimatemotorcycling.com/2011/jerez-motogp-rossi-and-stoner-crash-talk

[Jazza]

Awesome lean angle

[Sully]

Awesome lean angle
LOL! Just waiting for the new hip bone sliders for the next round.

[TJ]

Love how his still holding onto the handlebars

[Jazza]

He's probably trying to keep the bike going for as long as possible so it's not hard to start again Tj!

I also LOVED how all of the marshalls went straight to Rossi's bike, like literally all of them... so good

[Kilma]

Would love to have seen Simoncelli keep the bike up. Would have made it for a very interesting race if he did. My housemate picked that Spies was going to go off. He was looking shaky on worn tyres for a while before he overtook Pedrosa.

Very interesting race.

[esky]

'ambition outweighed his talent'.

Rossi laughed off his rival's comments.

"I don't know, maybe he doesn't know exactly who I am!" Rossi said to Italia1 television.

LOL

[SimonR32]

Hahahahahha that's the dumbest thing I think I've EVER heard come out of a riders mouth? Yes it was Rossi's mistake no question but your questioning his talent after he's won 9 world titles? Duhhhhhhh what a fucktard :P

Quiet happy with how that race ended up, shame Vale didn't hold up n pass him a bit later on, could of won the race but instead bloody Lorenzo!! lol

He didn't question his talent, he just said his ambition outweighed his talent... Which was 100% correct

[DISTRBD]

Reminds me of this . watch from 1.40 on

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8qtQA_zjgrk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Only video i could find of after race chat

[wadragracing]

Stoner's comment was exactly right for that situation.
Rossi says he wasn't going for the pass...I doubt it.
And yeah the officials well...I think Casey has a point there too.

"Your perception of racing needs to be fine tuned." ha!

[EVLO]

As good as Rossi is/has been, anyone who thinks that move last night wasn't stupidly dumb and way over ambitious needs to take the fanboi goggles off :P

Thought Stoners comment was epic, and 110% accurate in relation to the race incident.

[TJ]

Agreed -


Valentino Rossi says he was not even trying to overtake Casey Stoner when he took the Honda rider out of second in the Spanish Grand Prix.

Rossi had made rapid progress from 11th on the grid on the wet track, but fell when challenging Stoner for second place and knocked the Honda over in the process. The former champion said he had simply outbraked himself and dodged to the inside hoping to miss Stoner.

"When I arrived behind Stoner, I didn't want to overtake him in the moment of braking, but I braked a bit too deep compared to him, and I arrived too fast and I didn't have enough room to go on the outside so I tried to go on the inside to make less problems for both of us but unfortunately I lost the front and I also took him out," said Rossi.

"It's completely my mistake and I have to say sorry to Casey. I know that he's very angry because he didn't make any mistakes. I went straight to say sorry."

When Rossi apologised to Stoner in the Honda pit afterwards, television cameras caught the Australian asking Rossi about the health of his injured shoulder and suggesting his 'ambition outweighed his talent'. Rossi laughed off his rival's comments.

"I don't know, maybe he doesn't know exactly who I am!" Rossi said to Italia1 television. "But it's okay, it's fair enough, he's angry and I would be too. I've made a mistake and for me it was important to apologise. I'm not so interested in what he says."

Although Rossi came back to fifth place after the incident, he was confident he could have won the race had he stayed upright.

"When it was wet I did the fastest lap, so I had a clear chance to win the race," Rossi admitted to reporters.

"At the end the fifth place is a positive result if it was in the dry, but in the wet we were more competitive. We were lucky today with the weather, and the weather gave us a great chance to have the first victory or the first podium with the Ducati. Unfortunately I threw away this chance with a mistake."

He was encouraged that his damaged shoulder - which is still recovering after winter surgery to fix an injury sustained in a motocross crash a year ago - was not an issue in the wet.

"In the wet I could ride at 100 per cent with my shoulder," Rossi said. "I could brake where my eyes said to brake, because the force on the shoulder in the wet is a lot less because the grip of the tyre is less. It's since the beginning of last year that I've not had this feeling. This made me optimistic."


Hes not defending his actions in any way

[GA70TT]

was a weird race, and laughed hard at stoners comment

also....just quietly....anybody else notice the BWin girls on the podium ?....god dam

[Sully]

also....just quietly....anybody else notice the BWin girls on the podium ?....god dam
x2! I reckon Pedrosa would have to jump to motorboat them.

Motogp pit babes beat F1 pit babes hands down. I am however willing to be proven wrong if you can supply appropriate evidence to the contrary.

[Jazza]

For Stoner to ever bring up Rossi's "talent" just shows how much of a muppet he is regardless. If Rossi himself didn't defend the move I don't think anyone else would either! Thoroughly enjoyed that race though, wet racing is awesome

[yeahlow34]

For Stoner to ever bring up Rossi's "talent" just shows how much of a muppet he is regardless. If Rossi himself didn't defend the move I don't think anyone else would either! Thoroughly enjoyed that race though, wet racing is awesome

If his talent outweighed his ambition in that scenario, then he wouldn't have come off into Stoner. So the statement is completely warranted. Even Rossi agreed with that. Heat of the moment.

Stoner was hardly commenting on Rossi's talent as a rider in general. He is also far from a muppet.

[EVLO]

Where exactly was his 'talent' in that corner?? :P

[T-Diddy]

Awesome ride from Pedrosa, sat there calm as, then picked off Lorenzo with a few too go that brake lunge was huge, Pedrosa looked broken as getting off the bike..

an Rossi, jipped 4th place but 2000ths? of a second,

[03stiwrx]

Well done Pedrosa, obviously had the pace and was stalking, to pull out ~2 secs in 4 laps.

[Butcher]

Fuck it, missed the race guess ill catch the 11am replay

[TJ]

Anyone who beats Lorenzo to a race win is a champ in my books

[zeroyon]

Pedro for president !!

Great race.

Marco needs to chill and then he will be at the pointy end.

[Kilma]

Simoncelli will be looked at closely... again. Shall be interesting.

[TJ]

Awesome ride by Rossi.

Simoncelli.. hes just trying way too hard to prove himself. Cooler heads would prevail.

[T-Diddy]

missed the first few laps, but the final 10 or so, wow

Simoncelli, dont know to call it a dangerous ride, or it was just racing

rossi looks improved on the ducatti, but its lacking that punch from corners

and stoner for 1st place, fuck yeah.. this season is awesome so far, can only get better from here

[[FFOUR]]

Broken collar bone for Pedrosa, the war of words to come this week will be fun!!

[zeroyon]

Not so happy about the ride through for simoncelli.

I do think he rode dangerous but you cant start giving ride throughs now.
Lorenzo dove in on dovi in this race. Also on the same token rossi should have been given a ride through for knocking stoner off two races back. Why no penalties for those ?

Awesome to see stoner chopping again and so funny to see Rossi beat lorenzo on a slower bike !

Do get pissed at people still saying the yamaha is weaker then the honda. Lorenzo passed Dovi on the straight and even the yamaha engineer believed the bikes now match.

[mattyj]

interesting how the different camera angles tell different stories on the sic/ped crash. was it any worse then what rossi did in jerez, or rossi at laguna seca. i think not. however no ride through was issued there! i guess you have to win a few world titles before your allowed to race hard :P

[Jazza]

Simo just needs to cool down a bit, he's racing is sensational but he could of let Dani pass there and taken him on another corner as he was quicker but he chose a hard approach and it's not just cost him a podium but Dani a broken collar bone! I like seeing hard passes but that seemed a little OTP. Saying that it probably would of been great had Dani not fallen off and hurt himself..

I think the fact Lorenzo has to battle with Rossi or Dovi proves the bike isn't a match for the Honda, it may be ok in a straight line but there is something a miss there whether it be the brakes or that amazing punch out of the corners like the Honda has. Also hopefully Honda drop it to 3 factory bikes next year and Dovi gets put on a slower bike, he really doesn't deserve that ride!

[Kilma]

On board camera on Dovi's bike really tells the story in that incident.

Agreed on the inconsistancy regarding the punishment though.

[zeroyon]

I think the fact Lorenzo has to battle with Rossi or Dovi proves the bike isn't a match for the Honda

I guess my arguement is the base bike is there but getting it setup is proving to be a fail. No fault of yamaha.

IE - No Rossi and JB to copy from = bike development going backwards.

[mr_mike]

last half of the race was awesome so much passing. I held my breath on that last corner where Rossi went wide trying to pass Dovi, the front wheel was understeering big time u could c it in the slow mo.

Sux about Pedrosa but i'm not sure Simonchelli was compleltly to blame he did cut in very aggressivly, although i cant help but think if Pedrosa didnt stand the bike up and held his line he would of been passed on the outside but Simonchelli had way to much speed to make corner hence him running of the track after the contact and Pedrosa could of made it round the corner safely.
Pedrosa did seem to panic tho and stood the bike up that hard on brakes the back wheel lifted.

[Jazza]

I 100% agree that they aren't making forward steps (or atleast at the same rate) since JB & Vale have left but I figured that would be the case! I don't think its 100% in set up I think the Honda is just a better bike atm..

On another note I was hoping Spies would be able to challenge Jorge but he's not even close :(

[zeroyon]

On another note I was hoping Spies would be able to challenge Jorge but he's not even close

Yer me too, showed so much promise last year, now on a better bike just not cutting it. Would be nice to know if there is more to the story.

[Halle Terry]

Great race and plenty of action. I'm unsure of the names but I think the forgotten battle was mid field with the group of 4 bikes including the Rizla Suzuki, those guys were at it the whole race!

[sprint347]

Simoncelli cut the front off Pedrosa simple as that, Pedrosa straightened up because he knew the crash was imminent.

I have no problems with these guys racing hard, it's the top class of motorcycle racing, but that pass was reckless and has seriously injured another rider.

FWIW I didn't think his pass that got Lorenzo all moist was out of line...

[vbroom]

Simoncelli cut the front off Pedrosa simple as that, Pedrosa straightened up because he knew the crash was imminent.
\

lol...good to know you can read dani's thoughts.

if someone is coming around the outside of you....the way to make a crash more imminent than it already is would be to stand it up and run straight into them.

noone was faultless in that crash.

its racing. these things happen.

[sprint347]

lol...good to know you can read dani's thoughts.


It's a special talent.

[Sully]

Well that was a pretty boring race. 125 and moto2 more than made up for it though. 125s were crazy!

And the Paris Hilton team in the 125s?? Wtf is that all about?

[mr_mike]

Gp was a pretty boring race, only good pass was Spies on the first corner to go into 3rd place.
Stoner definetly walked away with it, Simoncelli result and performance in the race pretty much proved his flying lap to get pole in qualifying was just a fluke.
The crash in Moto2 between Simon and Sofuoglu was a pretty bad crash, reports saying Simon went into surgery in Madrid after the crash. The vid was pretty sickening to watch not only when he got hit by the other bike but when he slams into the wall.

[zeroyon]

Agree it was one of the more dull races.


Stoner definetly walked away with it, Simoncelli result and performance in the race pretty much proved his flying lap to get pole in qualifying was just a fluke.

I dunno eh.

He got swamped at the start and instead of fighting, he backed off and let people through. From their its really hard to make that ground back up.

My concern is all the "talking to" he has gotten has stopped him being a racer and he just yeilded.

I think they have gone way to far with telling him off and the spanish crowd can suck the big one. No need for their attitude and the death threats.

I hope we have no more then one race in spain next year if thats the way they behave.

[iluv2moan]

dude in 125 was stiff to get penalised for his 'winning' overtakeing move on the last corner

[mr_mike]

Agree it was one of the more dull races.



I dunno eh.

He got swamped at the start and instead of fighting, he backed off and let people through. From their its really hard to make that ground back up.

My concern is all the "talking to" he has gotten has stopped him being a racer and he just yeilded.

I think they have gone way to far with telling him off and the spanish crowd can suck the big one. No need for their attitude and the death threats.

I hope we have no more then one race in spain next year if thats the way they behave.

yeh he definetly backed off on the start, he got the jump of the line but when the front wheel came up that lil bit he backed off big time and everyone just shot past him.

[Lozzle]

Yea, Moto2 crash was full of ouch:

http://pix.crash.net/motorsport/360/PA952163.jpg

http://pix.crash.net/motorsport/360/PA952169.jpg

More:
http://www.crash.net/motogp/picturearchive/169939/8/photos

[zeroyon]

yeh he definetly backed off on the start, he got the jump of the line but when the front wheel came up that lil bit he backed off big time and everyone just shot past him.

It was more the second corner where he had a bit of track position in around 4/5 and got out of it as bikes got close to him. Straight back to 7th.

No doubt he messed the start up though !

[miss_petepie]

gutted that spies and lorenzo crashed :( good to see that stoner stayed upright and finshed at least

[Lozzle]

Standing water > Yamaha!

Hope Spies is ok. Who was the ex-racer commentator after the race saying how it's bad for the sport that there's pro guys crashing out in the wet and being lapped?

[mr_mike]

mr mono tone himself Daryl Beattie

[MMM]

I think he was actually pointing out that the talent pool in moto gp isnt as good as it used to be.

[zeroyon]

Was a top race, wet laps are so tense.

Shame Spies went down and I hope he is ok.

Lorenzo's down evens the score a little as he was the only one at top not to have a dnf.

Simoncelli was always going to fall, he needs to learn to chill and should have settled for 3rd. He watched lorenzo go down in front of him, had his own moment and still pushed it to a fall, plain silly.

Awesome to see Dovi so agressive at the start and holding off two fast riders.

So happy to see edwards in 3rd after a collar accident, seriously top effort.

Rossi, what the hell ? Why was he so much slower then hayden ??

[mr_mike]

Edwards looked like he was in alot of pain when on the podium and he was holding his ribs at one stage.

I dont think Simoncellis accident was from pushing to hard, like the commentators said at the end and when u watch the footage in slow mo he looked to of aquaplaned on one on of the many puddles and then just slid past the braking point.

Would of liked to seen Spies crash going by the damage to the bike it looked to be a pretty big stack, they mentioned he was at the medics complaining of lower back pain. I'm guessing he might of highsided it, bike was pretty beat up to of just laid it down. If he did it may of been a bike set up issue that both Spies and Lorenzo both high sided the factory Yamahas.

[zeroyon]

I guess agree to disagree on bike setup vs pushing to hard. In my mind you ride to the bike setup, any more is to hard. Hence rossi we assume had a crap setup but he stayed on :)

Some good new Spies has passed all medical checks and is bruised but ok.

[TJ]

What a boring race

[Lozzle]

Also interesting that Edwards was saying they used a relatively last minute diff setup for this race and he just got on and rode. Of course he wouldn't have placed so highly if the others didn't stack but good effort I say.

[Lozzle]

Ben Spies said he was relieved not to suffer any serious injuries in his Silverstone crash, having been given a clean bill of health following medical checks.

The American fell at Abbey while running sixth in the extremely wet British Grand Prix today.

He was taken to the medical centre for checks having reported back and neck pain, but scans showed no damage.

"The track was really wet, when I hit the brakes going into turn one the front just dropped away and I hit the wall before I knew it," Spies said.

"I hit my back pretty badly, my back protector is really busted up, but it did its job."

He admitted he was in discomfort at present, but has no concerns about his fitness for the next grand prix in the Netherlands in a fortnight.

"I'm really sore and will probably need a big cushion for a few days but I'm happy it wasn't worse," said Spies.

"We'll take a few days to relax and recover then come back fighting at Assen."


http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/12062011/66/spies-glad-escaped-injury.html

[mr_mike]

Ben Spies crash
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0f-nrhDmXPU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

looks like he aquaplaned then dropped the bike as he appeared to be on the straight when he went down. Cart wheeling over the safety barrier is never a good move tho.

[EVLO]

What a boring race

You good sir need glasses then :P

How can you say that was boring? Rain, crashes, close calls, few good battles, and stoner riding like a champ and lapping khunts...

[mr_mike]

Just in case anyone didnt realise the GP is on tonight, and its another wet race!

[Butcher]

Still 10:30pm on one hd?

[mr_mike]

nah mate 125's and Moto2 already been run, GP starts in about 5min.

Stoner had a pretty big crash in practice!

[zeroyon]

Simo taking out lorenzo was epic. Only shame was lorenzo made it back to 6th haha. Great ride from Spies, really wish I put some money on him. He was paying 8.50. Dovi is now starrting to get up there, he could become one of those championship winners that doesnt win a race.

[mr_mike]

Moto2 was an awesome race the top 4 changed positions at least 4-5 times in the last 10 laps. I missed the warm up lap, what happened to Stefan Bradle? i seen him come up the starting grid to get into position and everyone else was already in place.

Simocelli went out to hard on the "bad" side of the bridgstone tyre when it was cold, unfortunetly Lorenzo was just colateral damage. Like or hate Lorenzo he still done dam well to go from 12th to 6th on a crashed bike!

[Sully]

As soon as the race started I'd predicted Simoncelli out by the end of lap 2.
Bingo.
He's doing exactly what Lorenzo did when he arrived in MotoGP just without the superman element to his crashes. Blisteringly fast but pushes too hard and stuffs it up, usually taking someone with him.
He's going to be an excellent rider, he doesn't seem to injure easily which seems to be what all the cool kids are doing at the moment. He just has to learn a few things about racing in MotoGP and he'll be a massive threat.

Was good to see Spies get his win. I don't rate him in with the best riders yet but he might get there. Everyone goes back to zero with the new bikes next year so the years of experience on the current set up won't count for as much.

Can't see Dovi taking the title this year unless Stoner catches aids again or whatever it was he had last time. I am surprised to see Rossi in 4th though. Impressive!

[Lozzle]

My favourite bit of GP tonight was Spies pipping Simoncelli at the last corner. Heh, sucked in Sideshow Bob.

[TJ]

The Stoner sook was quite epic.

[esky]

i figured he would, what was his gripe?

[Jazza]

Stoner ALWAYS moans.. he's just fucking annoying, never thought I'd be happy Lorenzo won and Dovi finished 2nd!

[Lozzle]

i figured he would, what was his gripe?

Kept the same tyre pressure as per warm up laps, as a result he had no grip. In his defence, the bike was skipping everywhere, but he was always gonna spend his event wrap-up bitching about it

[mr_mike]

Awesome race, i'd even say the best one so far this season. Was more like a moto2 race with all the position swaps and battles going on.
Pedrosa fought well and deserved the win.
Stoner...... what a fucking sook! this is the 2nd race in a row he has not had the top spot on the podium and carried on like a spoilt brat. Fair enough he is disappointed he didnt finish better and Lorenzo is closing in on his championship lead but still no need to carry on like a douche. Ever heard of being gracious in defeat?

[Lozzle]

TBH Mike, I didn't think it was that much of a whinge this time.

Was great to see Pedroas get the win. Epic battles made for a great race! Next week, USA round bring it on!

[mr_mike]

its not so much what he said but more so his body language and temperment towards the other riders straight after the race. Take Ben Spies for example he was fist pumping and super happy with his 4th place the complete opposite to Stoner who is leading the championship and finished 3rd.

Only downside to US round is its on a 3am monday morning.

[zeroyon]

Totally dis-agree mr-mike.

Stoner was disapointed to be losing points and thats fair enough. He paid kudos to the jorgie dog, he even smiled. Not sure what more you could want ?

He wants championship not wins, behind lorenzo may as well be last place.

Was a great race but I lost a heap of points in my tipping lol.

[Jazza]

Moner needs to get his head around the tires. Sliding the bike around for the best quali times is fine but he seems to do it a lot in the race too and if he doesn't have a large enough gap by the end of the race everyone else seems to be able to pass him... I still don't believe the Yamaha is as quick as the Honda's although the gap isn't as large as it was at the start of the season

[zeroyon]

Yer agree on that Jazza !

Pedro had bulk grip at the end. Stoner struggle town.

[Butcher]

Master class by Stoner this morning, well worth the 430am start after the F1 last night.

[Lozzle]

I watched GP this morning, exciting race. I did pick Simoncelli to fall off at teh corkscrew on lap 27 but he opted for an earlier finale.

Enjoyed the battle between Dozi and Spies and then Stoner nabbing Jorge and holding his own.

T-Rex track ate the riders up!

[Butcher]

I find it hard/frustrating to watch Simoncelli as he has the pace and drive to win a race, but first needs to stay on the bloody bike to the flag. It's much like watching RDp you know he is going to crash it's just a matter of when.

[Lozzle]

He needs to learn to keep cool and settle into the race, and then make moves without knocking other riders off!

[zeroyon]

Awesome race, loved the stoner pass on yorgi dawg.

Also those people that call "stoner the moaner" should note pedro "complaining" about tyre grip .........

Hopefully stoners win signals good things for the championship.

[Butla]

What a race!! One of the best i have seen in a long time.

To all the stoner haters like jazza, i think he just proved that he has the balls to run with anyone, anytime.

[Tocchi]

replay on OneHD in 90mins (12am)

[Jazza]

I never said he didn't have the balls to run with anyone? He's one of the best riders there is full stop I just don't like him? lol
Also did you notice he conserved his tires at the start of the race and then blitzed them at the end of it, think he's got it sussed now!
Lorenzo looked pretty injured when he got off the bike as well. Probably playing it up a little bit as he didn't win.

[zeroyon]

Case and point #2 stoner not a moaner.

He's been nursing a neck injury and didn't bother to mention it ......

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/motorgp-star-casey-stoner-battles-neck-injury/story-e6frg7mf-1226102323253

[Jazza]

LOL he has being moaning for years!!!!! You don't earn a nickname as a moaner if you're not one.

[urabus]

I find it hard/frustrating to watch Simoncelli as he has the pace and drive to win a race, but first needs to stay on the bloody bike to the flag. It's much like watching RDp you know he is going to crash it's just a matter of when.

It is a lot easier to teach a fast guy to stay on than a guy that stays on to go fast.

Brendon

[Tones]

^^^^ what he said. Lorenzo's first year he had 7 or so crashes. 2 years later he wins the title.

[Jazza]

Casey moaning again! Awesome race for 4th place.. glad Simmo got it!

[DISTRBD]

Casey moaning again!

Why do you watch the interview then knowing he will moan LOL . Im watching superbikes race 2 from nurburgring and its wet :)

[mr_mike]

what pissed me off was the RPM crew making excuses for Stoner before he went on the podium. That fuckwit Beattie was saying Stoner was probably tired from all the travel lately HE HAS DONE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRAVEL AS ANYONE ELSE IN THE FIELD YOU KNOB!!

For once Stoner didnt come up with some lame ass excuse for his result, he said straight out i was tired arms were getting sore and was starting to loose his focus running wide and not hitting braking points.

The last 2 laps and the battle for 4th place were awesome, such close racing it was like watching a Moto2 race.

[Lozzle]

Great race, shame Stoner couldn't keep the 1st places coming but he was honest in the wrap up and hey, he isn't a machine, he is human. He's gonna get tired and lose focus at some point.

Kick ass battle between Sic, Dovi & Spies. Thoroughly enjoyed that race! Moto2 and the 125s had some exciting final laps also.

[Jazza]

Was actually referring to his covo with Wayne before the podium whinging about injuries from earlier on in the season and being too sore and too tired..
Vale rode the wheels off that Ducati as well!

The wet race in WSBK was AWESOME. I love racing in the wet, well watching it hahaha

[DISTRBD]

The wet race in WSBK was AWESOME. I love racing in the wet, well watching it hahaha

LOL would of done quicker laps on jet ski i reckon :P Jonny Rea sliding halfway down straight on his back with bike in safety barrier , gets up n finished 4th LOL .



LOL Checa V Rossi


Checa reportedly told the seven-time MotoGP world champion to come and see how a "real Ducati' rides at the 11th round of the World Superbikes championship in Imola.

[EVLO]

fark the stoner bashers never give up do they.. He was having a private conversation with Rainey and he told him how he was feeling... how that translates into whinging i don't know..

but guess you gotta keep on the bandwagon even over the smallest shit.


Good race, ending to the 125's was rather interesting...

[Jazza]

The Rossi thing would be amazing, fingers crossed. I'm sure it'd be nice for him to go from the worst handling bike on the grid to the best!
How is there a a Stoner bashing bandwagon.. I didn't like him when he was at Ducati, sensationaly fast but such a wimp lol

[DISTRBD]

How is there a a Stoner bashing bandwagon.. I didn't like him when he was at Ducati, sensationaly fast but such a wimp lol

If Rossi got on the podium he may whinge also , but i guess we will be waiting some time for that :)

[zeroyon]

Seriously ...... Stoner is not a complainer !!

Two quotes from riders post race .... which one is stoner and who is the other ?

"We started out with an OK set up but we didn’t really go forward all weekend, struggling a lot with edge grip. I wasn’t having a great feeling with the front either so we tried something new in warm up this morning - which was honestly a disaster."

"there was nothing wrong with the tyres, nothing wrong with the bike, the team did a great job and gave me a fantastic package, I'm just worn out."

[mr_mike]

If Rossi got on the podium he may whinge also , but i guess we will be waiting some time for that :)

Rossi was on the podium in round 3 i think, picked up 3rd and he was fucking over the moon!

[Jazza]

Yeh he has a worldwide rep for being Casey Moaner for no reason at all.. hahaha :P

[GA70TT]

his wife is farking hot.....camera always pans to her after the finish.....

i am a casey fan, and i am glad to see championship still alive still, JL will put up a fight

also, loved laguna seca few weeks back....stoner's overtake on Jorge through turn 1 was nuts

<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ELwpShNQ2I4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[mr_mike]

yeh she's pretty fit, how Stoner hooked up with her tho is a bit pedo bear spec

http://www.dlcache.indiatimes.com/imageserve/088g3QA4HNa5J/350x.jpg
http://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/MotoGP+Testing+FUPYItwFda6m.jpg

[zeroyon]

Well put that in your pipe and smoke it !

Stoner OWNED them and I don't want to hear any yamaha slower talk either, as he owned pedro on a simular bike !

[DISTRBD]

4 rounds left with a 44 point lead , lets see who tries to crash Stoner out


LOL

Lorenzo said: "It was impossible to win today "

[TJ]

One a scale of 0 to fuck my life, how frustrated do you reckon Rossi is?

[DISTRBD]

One a scale of 0 to fuck my life, how frustrated do you reckon Rossi is?

He finished in front of 3 other bikes

[zeroyon]

yer considering the cards he has been dealt bike wise Rossi did well. People crapping on the bike forum about crutchlow passing him but no doubt Rossi was probably just happy to not be last.

[Lozzle]

I think Rossi would be a over this year's frustrations and just trying to ride as best he can given the setup he has. He did well to come from the pits and make up a few places.
Some great battles for different spots last night, which made for good viewing rather than following Stoner at the front for the whole race. Spies' start was fantastic but the Hondas walked past the Yammi's.

Very excited about the calendar for next year, I'm definitely keen on heading to Sepang then down to Phillip Island for 2 weeks of MotoGP spectating :)

[EVLO]

Good race, happy stoner dominated the weekend again... Moto2 race was epic, Main race needs more racing like that!

[Jazza]

I think Rossi must of worn his tires out towards the end of that race as he had a lot more pace than Crutchlow and was catching Hayden/Batutisa etc but then his times just dropped off and he settled where he was. Good to see Ducati doing so much work on the bike to try to get it right for him! The aluminum front part hopefully will work well for him in the coming races.

[Jazza]

Found this!
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/94655

[zeroyon]

question is will 2012 hold anythig better for Rossi ?

[Jazza]

Better yes, wins mmm not convinced. I am not sure this will fix the chassis feedback problem entirely. Being aluminium they can make changes to problems much quicker but the Ducati is still based on being a bike somewhat without a traditional frame and the rear piece is still carbon even though I don't think rear grip (usually) is a problem to sort out it's just that feedback coming through the handle bars that is the biggest problem. I think by the start of 2012 they'll have more fairly large changes to the bike and hopefully be moving along in the right direction so it's an easier bike all round to ride. It's interesting how they're being allowed to test the GP12 with no problems when the parts are handed down to the GP11.1.1.1.1A lol. I bet if they were near the front Honda etc would spit the dummy at it but because everybody feels a bit sorry for them being so far off the pace nobody is really complaining with what they're doing!

[Jazza]

Just another thing to think about.. look at Yamaha this year without Rossi? Their bike is suddenly is under developed and they've been easily passed by Honda. I think for development purposes he is the best there is so they'll get there eventually if he doesn't lose interest lol The only thing that has always baffled me is why he is so fast in the wet when he doesn't have confidence or feedback with the bike...

[GA70TT]

rossi should have gone to Suzuki .....actually not a bad bike

[zeroyon]

Suzuki .....actually not a bad bike

burp ... sorry just threw up in my mouth a little.

Suzi although they build a great road bike have been shite in motogp. They haven't won a championship since 2000 and I don't think have ever won with a 4 stroke.

It was 1982 last time they won the constructors.

Its actually a real shame they don't pull their thumb out and make it a 3 or 4 horse race

[Jazza]

Casey did nothing to develop the Ducati he just had a style and talent to ride around the problems.. he's useless for developing bikes just brilliant at riding them lol there would be little point in Rossi goin to Suzuki, he's already built up Honda then Yamaha to win titles. Ducati is a different challenge and of course Italian. They'll also give him a bike to win WSBK in a few years when he's ready to move on!

[GA70TT]

said it was ok....not great :p

bautista has had some good results....but after looking into it, Rossi is still doing better ...haha

[TJ]

his wife is farking hot.....camera always pans to her after the finish.....

i am a casey fan, and i am glad to see championship still alive still, JL will put up a fight

also, loved laguna seca few weeks back....stoner's overtake on Jorge through turn 1 was nuts

<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ELwpShNQ2I4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

He learnt that move here

http://youtu.be/sfPM77TsGaA

[mr_mike]

The main race was as usual pretty boring but Moto2 WOW what a race, first 2 corners and there was already some very aggresive riding. As usual Bradley Smith led for that first couple laps then just drops off and disappears i doubt it tires going of that quick maybe a fitness issue. Still he has been signed to jump up to GP in 2013.
Stefan Bradle was clearly having bike issues in the second half of the race as he dropped off the pace big time. He only just managed to stay within the points.
Andrea Iannone had an awesome race despite running off the track multiple times and loosing places he still got them back, Marquez is in a class of his own and being only 19 at this rate he does have a very bright furture in the sport.
I love the fact that even in the dieing moments of the race there is still battles with 6 or 7 bikes for podium places makes for awesome racing and this isnt a one of thing it happens every round! for anyone who usually just flicks over to watch the GP i highly recommend watchin the 125's and more so Moto2, 34 bikes on the track all pretty even with control engines and tyres the racing is way better than the GP.



Its actually a real shame they don't pull their thumb out and make it a 3 or 4 horse race

rumours of Dovizioso going to Suzuki as a second rider, apparently despite the fact he is 3rd in the championship Honda are not happy with his performance.

How awesome was the slow mo cams of stoner cornering and you could see the amount the tyre deflected?

[Jazza]

That race was one of the best I've ever seen.. Rossi passing on the dirt! Stoner moaned HARDDDD about that one after the race hahahah

[TJ]

Its one of the things Stoner does exceptionally well

[DISTRBD]

That race was one of the best I've ever seen.. Rossi passing on the dirt! Stoner moaned HARDDDD about that one after the race hahahah

Clearly the rules are a little relaxed in MotoGP , Biaggi copped a ride through for a siimilar move in SBK round .

[zeroyon]

Mike I watched the moto 2 this round and have to say I find the motogp a lot better. I know every race someone posts in here "motogp was boring" but hell I love it. I have no problem with one rider being way better and just destroying the field. What I dont like and you see it a lot in moto2 is people maikng big mistakes and then making those spots back up within laps. Moto2 has to much elbows out and not enough raw speed. To me saying motopg is boring is like saying isle of man is boring as they dont race side be side . I find isle of man awesome to watch.

[Darkside]

The Stoner ride this year reminds me of some of the Mick Doohan efforts of his heyday at Honda. Basically just ride away from them at the front on the superior HRC bike and spend most of the race ridign alone unchallenged. .... although the lines painted out of the corners on the 500's always kept me amused. I think Mick was a bit easier to like and admire than Stoner....bit like Bayliss in the supers. While not a fan of Stoner the person, his talent is undeniable and I admire him for that. Although the missus and I were joking as to whether he shagged his missus or if the bub is going to pop out with a big simoncelli afro head of hair. lol.

Totally agree with the above comment on the Moto GP. While it doesnt have the cut and thrust of the Moto 2, (that was an epic race) you still have to admire the talent of the jockeys dancing these things around the circuit on the edge.

[mr_mike]

Mike I watched the moto 2 this round and have to say I find the motogp a lot better. I know every race someone posts in here "motogp was boring" but hell I love it. I have no problem with one rider being way better and just destroying the field. What I dont like and you see it a lot in moto2 is people maikng big mistakes and then making those spots back up within laps. Moto2 has to much elbows out and not enough raw speed. To me saying motopg is boring is like saying isle of man is boring as they dont race side be side . I find isle of man awesome to watch.

Isle of Man is absolutely amazing to watch cos the course and speeds are just so mental how often do u see sports bikes jumping!
I still enjoy watching the GP but just comes down to personel preference I like the close racing style in moto2.

Read last night that Marques' bike is the only Suter frame bike running the 2012 swing arm that Suter claim is good for another 10th of a second if lap times. Kinda explains why he was so far ahead at the end of the race.

[Jazza]

When you see them getting both wheels off the ground at a lean angle and then bottoming out on the lean angle when they come back down all at speed.. gives you so much respect for those crazy TT riders!
Marques is just quality.. he started off slow but he's certainly one quick rider, hope he doesn't jump into Moto GP too quickly though.

[Lozzle]

Good GP race today!

[Jazza]

Was all over the place, would of made a slightly better end to the season if Stoner dropped it!

[mr_mike]

was an awesome race, i always enjoy watching the top riders having to fight for positions back rather than just get out infront and cruise. One thing i found slightly amusing or mayb just a coincidence in the later laps Spies was trying to overtake Edwards, both American, both on Yamahas one a factory bike, mean while Simonchelli was trying to overtake Dovitsioso, both Italian, both on Hondas and one a factory bike.
Edwards, Dovitsiosos' and Simonchellis ride thru penalties for jumping the start wasnt really needed if you ask me as none of them gained an advantage from moving early if anything i reckon they lost time as they all moved that 200mm stopped then had to get going again, their start was ruined.

[Jazza]

Rules are the rules and also Simmo has a factory Honda and will continue to do so next year :)

[miss_petepie]

sooo annoyed I missed it :(

will watch later tonight, I dont want the rounds to end :(

[[FFOUR]]

Dovi was getting some wicked slides in the last couple of laps before Simmo overtook him, great to watch!

Other thing to note is Stoner says "you know" far too often in his interviews, gets very irritating (still like him though, so I'm not a hater)

[TJ]

Shame Rossi fell - was very interested to see how far the Duke had really come. Looked a definite improvement.

[Jazza]

Yup the aluminum front part did seem to help, wait for next year and a full aluminum frame then they'll get back up to pace! Funny thing is the new 1199 SBK that's being released is using the old Motogp frame (before aluminum parts) yet the GP team is going away from it. Massive wooooops by Ducati, not that many people will actually know or understand what's going on.. they'll just see a light superbike with good hp figures and a Ducati logo. If front end feel is a real problem it could hurt them in WSBK though. Anyway getting a bit side tracked here lol

[DISTRBD]

Yup the aluminum front part did seem to help, wait for next year and a full aluminum frame then they'll get back up to pace! Funny thing is the new 1199 SBK that's being released is using the old Motogp frame (before aluminum parts) yet the GP team is going away from it. Massive wooooops by Ducati, not that many people will actually know or understand what's going on.. they'll just see a light superbike with good hp figures and a Ducati logo. If front end feel is a real problem it could hurt them in WSBK though. Anyway getting a bit side tracked here lol


They were talking about this last night and mentioned Checa sticking with this years bike

[Jazza]

That's because of rules though.. the 1199 will be ready to compete in superstock in 2012 but not WSBK until 2013.

[mr_mike]

After Stoners off you could see a very distinctive change in his riding style as he shot back thru the pack to the front runners. I mean he always looks quick when he rides but even when he is in top 3 chasing 1st he doesnt look as fast and as aggresive as he did yesterday. Was really good to watch him ride. he also rode smart, once he was back in the top 3 he knew he wasnt going to catch Pedrosa or Lorenzo with their 14sec lead and to keep pushing that hard on worn tyres would of led to an even bigger off so he just settled back and still took the bottom spot on the podium and the points.
Did anyone else catch Lorenzos comments at the start of the race? sounds like he has pretty much given up on trying to chase down Stoners lead in the championship.

[[FFOUR]]

Did anyone else catch Lorenzos comments at the start of the race? sounds like he has pretty much given up on trying to chase down Stoners lead in the championship.

Well there really isn't much he can do, he has to bank on Stoner crashing or fucking up a few times and/or winning 3 races himself which given the season so far doesn't look likely.

[Lozzle]

Phillip Island round on Sunday!! Looking forward to it :)

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/10/14/1226166/672663-casey-stoner.jpg

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/motor-sport/stoner-blitzes-early-practice/story-e6frg26l-1226166800525

[mr_mike]

Race hasnt even started yet and WOW!! Lorenzo had a crash in free practice this mornin looked like fuck all but he has managed to chop the top of his finger off from the knuckle!!! Marshals are out on track lookin for his finger.
He's been declared unfit to race so stoner just needs to finish top 10 and the championship is his.

[TJ]

Ouch!

[mr_mike]

fucking ouch indeed----->
http://ow.ly/i/jgyY/original

[Roobiks]

Well done Casey!

[TJ]

Congrats.

Simoncelli 2nd, great ride!

[mr_mike]

Adrianna will get ridden well tonight

[TJ]

LOL

Casey Stoner met Adriana Tuchyna from Adelaide when she approached him at Phillip Island in 2003 and asked him to sign her stomach. A relationship began in 2005 when she turned 16, and they were married in Adelaide on 6 January 2007

What a fucking mad dog!!!

[Roobiks]

Simoncelli 2nd, great ride!

Agreed. Always an exciting rider to watch.

[zeroyon]

STONER WORLD CHAMPION !!!

Such a shame about lorenzo, I don't like the dude but not the best way for Stoner to wrap it up.

Did anyone one see Simoncelli congrat Stoner ?

Next year is going to be interesting as. All new bikes, Stoner with a newborn, Lorenzo with a stubby finger, Simo with some experience.

[mr_mike]

yeh Simoncelli walked up and shaked his hand just after Stoner put on his world champ shirt

[Jazza]

That's fcked for Lorenzo, didn't realise it was that bad :|

[winstor]

Much respect for these guys, have some of the biggest balls in motorsport. 325km/h on a bike....fuck that lol

[mr m00se]

Awesome to see stoner get the championship at PI on his birthday. I've been pretty impressed with the way Simoncelli has been riding of late. Infact you could probably draw a few parallels between him and Vettel, lots of tallent and desire to win, but started off driving/riding like a dick. Give Simoncelli a year or two and he will be a serious contender for the title, he's already beating some of the big names while on a satellite bike.
Was hoping for an epic wheelie from stoner over the line, but I dont blame him given the condition's

[Lozzle]

Bike fans...

http://fastestthemovie.com/

[esky]

this is also coming out soon, part doco part movie on the 2010 isle of man tt

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QldZiR9eQ_0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QldZiR9eQ_0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

[Butcher]

Fuck me that's a real nasty accident for simmo. Hopefully he's ok.

[Butcher]

Run over by rossi and edwards, helmet was knocked from his head.

[Lasoya]

Huge crash, thoughts go out to him

[MMM]

That was terrible!

[ossie_21]

Nothing Rossi or Bautista could do, hopefully he is ok...

[Lasoya]

Nothing Rossi or Bautista could do, hopefully he is ok...
It was rossi and edwards that were involved

[Crispymk2]

Head looked like it rotated over 90º when nailed by Rossi and helmet ripped off. Not good.

Hope I'm wrong but doesnt look good for him

Edit: Race cancelled. He dead.

[Butcher]

25min and no word from the medical centre cant be good.

[Cpt Beaver]

helmet was knocked from his head.

Not want you want see, just hope he's ok.

[Butcher]

Race cancelled

[Cpt Beaver]

Race has just been called off

[ossie_21]

It was rossi and edwards that were involved

My bad, the replay when I switched it over was the footage from Bautistas bike

[duste]

Slow motion:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/acAV9ji-uis" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Full speed:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dcWhq6efmFY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Fuck

[4A10SHN]

Nasty! Seen it on TV

[KAL SPL]

All videos being deleted as quick as they go up.

Not a good month for motorsport :(

[esky]

Slow mo looks really bad.

[duste]

Already down after not even 20 minutes...

Definitely doesn't look good, lying on the ground lifeless. Is the death confirmed or assumed?

[4A10SHN]

Assumed so far

[Lmx]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joTXzq6RUjo

[Butcher]

RIP Marco