MOTO GP SPOILER

[BabyCow]

I've seen it........... but I don't believe it. One of the better races you will ever see. Correct me if I am wrong but at one stage Rossi was fastest down the straight...so the Ducati top speed seemed to be not much of an advantage......until Rossi was in front of Stoner down the main straight.....then he was SMOKED! . I have a longish memory and was expecting two (Stoner and Pedrosa)of the top three to crash when the third (who else) put the heat went on

[JerryMather]

STONER STONER STONER

 

If any of guys don't think he's WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP material...........you didn't just see the same race I just saw.

[PhillyFlash]

I would not be surprised to see the final standings end up exactly where they are now: Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa. Rossi is simply the best rider out there, with Stoner only a hair behind him. That Duc's power is just too much for the Yamaha, but if anyone could pull it out, it's Rossi. If they find a way to get just a little more power out of that Yamaha, or a little more grip from those Michelin's, who knows. But this could end up being one of the best, if not the best, racing season that I've seen. As long as those three don't exchange places due to DNF's (which happened too much with Rossi last year), it's going to be an incredible fight. I'll never count Rossi out of it. Even with all of his problems last year, he still almost took the championship away from Nicky. Only 2 weeks to Donington. I'm on the edge of my seat already.

[russell_bynum]

STONER STONER STONER

 

If any of guys don't think he's WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP material...........you didn't just see the same race I just saw.

 

Yep.

 

Honestly, I don't think Rossi ever had a chance. Every time he'd make a pass (by doing some really scary/risky late-braking moves), Casey would just motor right on by. There was only one section were I saw Rossi actually faster in the corners, as well.

 

And the only time Pedrosa could get right up on them was when Rossi and Stoner were getting tangled up with each other, slowing each other down.

 

Stoner's definitely got this thing dialed.

[russell_bynum]

Correct me if I am wrong but at one stage Rossi was fastest down the straight...so the Ducati top speed seemed to be not much of an advantage

 

Stoner screwed up and got a bad drive onto the straight that one lap.

[poops]

Stoner's performance reminds me of everything that Sete and Biaggi couldn't do while being pressured by Rossi. I was stunned Stoner held Rossi off. As soon as he was passed by Rossi, he just kept motoring on and repassed.

All I can say is WOW!!!!! What a race!

[ELP_JC]

Did SPEED televised the race? Just saw MotoGP this morning. I bet it was yesterday, huh? Geez

Well, until the next one. Or are they still repeating the races during the week? Thx.

[PhillyFlash]

No, just CBS this time. I believe they are televising 2 more this season.

[Whip]

Good news for CBS.

 

I turned on the race in my stores this afternoon so I could watch while I did some work.

 

Many people stopped and watched at least part of the race. I was surprised. I talked to a few of them they had no idea what they were watching. I answered a few questions and I think they enjoyed the race.

 

The CBS cameras made the bikes look slower to me than the SpeedTV cameras. Could be because I never watched it at work before. Also Kevin and his buddy seemed underwhelmed by the race......at the end they didn't really build up the finish like the over the top Euros do.

 

I hope it works out for the networks so we can get more of it in the mainstream.

 

Whip

 

BTW...the most shocking stat to my customers was that 200,000 people had showed up during the weekend to watch the races. They had no idea it was that popular in Europe.

[Couchrocket]

Great race... but, does anyone else find these new bikes less exciting to watch? I sure do, but I'm not sure "why," exactly...

[russell_bynum]

Good news for CBS.

 

I turned on the race in my stores this afternoon so I could watch while I did some work.

 

Many people stopped and watched at least part of the race. I was surprised. I talked to a few of them they had no idea what they were watching. I answered a few questions and I think they enjoyed the race.

 

The CBS cameras made the bikes look slower to me than the SpeedTV cameras. Could be because I never watched it at work before. Also Kevin and his buddy seemed underwhelmed by the race......at the end they didn't really build up the finish like the over the top Euros do.

 

I hope it works out for the networks so we can get more of it in the mainstream.

 

Whip

 

BTW...the most shocking stat to my customers was that 200,000 people had showed up during the weekend to watch the races. They had no idea it was that popular in Europe.

 

It looked like CBS was using the Dorna feed most of the time, but putting their own overlays on from time to time (like the cheesy headshots of the riders).

 

I didn't care for the commentary. I like the Euro guys much better.

[russell_bynum]

Great race... but, does anyone else find these new bikes less exciting to watch? I sure do, but I'm not sure "why," exactly...

 

I think a couple of reasons:

 

1. The racing this year hasn't been as good as last year. I can recall the early races of last season where there were a half-dozen guys duking it out for the lead. A few of the races, the top 3-5 riders were fractions of a second apart. This year, someone always seems to run away with it. Sometimes they take one or two guys with them, but we really haven't seen the same level of dogfights like we saw last year. I'm not sure why that is, really.

 

2. With less power, the 800's just aren't as dramatic. You don't get guys coming up to the turns sideways with the rear wheels skimming the track, slamming the thing over, then standing it up and firing it out spinning like crazy.

 

Personally, I also found the 990's to be far more entertaining to watch.

 

I also don't like the new tire rules. The winner should be the team who's best on race day, not the team that did the best job Thursday guessing what the weather was going to be on Sunday.

[JerryMather]

I think a couple of reasons:

 

1. The racing this year hasn't been as good as last year.

 

It is if your a DUCATI FAN!

........................................................................................................................

2. With less power, the 800's just aren't as dramatic. You don't get guys coming up to the turns sideways with the rear wheels skimming the track, slamming the thing over, then standing it up and firing it out spinning like

crazy.

 

I think your right on this one.

.......................................................................................................................

Personally, I also found the 990's to be far more entertaining to watch.

 

Me Too, but what about that Ducati and STONER!

.......................................................................................................................

I also don't like the new tire rules. The winner should be the team who's best on race day, not the team that did the best job Thursday guessing what the weather was going to be on Sunday.

 

I kinda like the tire deal, as long as Rossi isn't on the Bridgestones.

 

Russell- Keep her out of the kitchen for awhile. It's getting about time for her to go Postal over Hyden.

[chrisolson]

I would not be surprised to see the final standings end up exactly where they are now: Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa. Rossi is simply the best rider out there, with Stoner only a hair behind him. That Duc's power is just too much for the Yamaha, but if anyone could pull it out, it's Rossi. If they find a way to get just a little more power out of that Yamaha, or a little more grip from those Michelin's, who knows. But this could end up being one of the best, if not the best, racing season that I've seen. As long as those three don't exchange places due to DNF's (which happened too much with Rossi last year), it's going to be an incredible fight. I'll never count Rossi out of it. Even with all of his problems last year, he still almost took the championship away from Nicky. Only 2 weeks to Donington. I'm on the edge of my seat already.

 

+1

 

Stoner impressed me with being able to keep his cool and not overcook a corner under tremendous pressure, and he stands a good chance of winning the Championship, but for now I think Rossi is still the better rider.

[JerryMather]

Quote from Rossi about Stoner:

 

"We know that we can beat Stoner but today he rode like a god and he's a fantastic rival, so congratulations to him."

[ghaverkamp]

I didn't care for the commentary. I like the Euro guys much better.

 

Yeah. I didn't think it could be much worse, but CBS showed that it could be. I can't tell for sure from my Google searches, but is Jeff Medders a rodeo announcer? He seemed to lose focus that there was a race going on, instead constantly going to his list of talking points.

 

I would have much preferred to hear how Stoner, Rossi, and Pedrosa were "absolutely flying" ad nauseam.

[russell_bynum]

I think a couple of reasons:

 

1. The racing this year hasn't been as good as last year.

 

It is if your a DUCATI FAN!

 

The results are good if you're a Ducati fan (or a Stoner fan). The actual racing? No so much. I called this race 8 laps in.

 

 

 

Me Too, but what about that Ducati and STONER!

 

Definitely cool. Stoner is showing a huge increase in maturity from where he was last year.

 

I kinda like the tire deal, as long as Rossi isn't on the Bridgestones.

 

It definitely seems that Bridgestone's doing better with this. I wonder if they're doing better at guessing, or if their tires are better across a bigger range of conditions so they don't have to guess as accurately.

[Drew]

CBS?? No wonder Speed is only showing the 250s today! I need to get a TV Guide

[PhillyFlash]

It definitely seems that Bridgestone's doing better with this. I wonder if they're doing better at guessing, or if their tires are better across a bigger range of conditions so they don't have to guess as accurately.

 

I think that is exactly the question that Michelin is asking.

 

Stoner has become a great rider, and he's just a little behind Rossi. However, that Duc has it way over the Yamaha. It will be interesting to see the rest of the season and finding out if the second best rider on the best bike can continually beat the best rider on an inferior bike. If Rossi was on the Duc, the season could almost be over right now.

[JerryMather]

If Rossi was on the Duc, the season could almost be over right now.

If Rossi was on the Ducati ................Those Italians would be going nuts right now. That's been a dream of theirs for a long time.

[steve.foote]

I thought it was a really good race. Rossi and Stoner hung it all out, but Pedrosa seemed to be able to keep up with them anyway. He didn't seem to be pushing as hard until the last few laps, but it takes more than a conservative strategy to win championships.

 

As for the See-BS coverage, it sucked! In the beginning, they spent ten minutes of valuable racetime telling the audience why Valentino Rossi is a rock star. Was I the only one secretly hoping to see Kevin Schwantz strangle his co-host with a microphone cord?

[russell_bynum]

Was I the only one secretly hoping to see Kevin Schwantz strangle his co-host with a microphone cord?

 

Yeah. Especially when he called MotoGP the "NASCAR of 2 wheels". Dumbass. Let's see...NASCAR is sorta stock cars with very limited technology racing really long races mostly on oval tracks. MotoGP is prototype bikes with basically unlimited technology racing short races on road courses. Yep...sounds the same to me. Idiot.

 

In the next breath, he called it the "Formula One of 2 wheels", which is actually accurate.

 

OTOH, more exposure is good. CBS is the NASCAR of Television, so that's a good thing.

[steve.foote]

...CBS is the NASCAR of Television, so that's a good thing.

 

Nice!

[russell_bynum]

...CBS is the NASCAR of Television, so that's a good thing.

 

Nice!

 

Thanks! Coming from you, the NASCAR of motorcyclists, that means a bunch!

[RonStewart]

It has been years since I watched the 500 cc world championships regularly on tv, since I don't have Speed. I did see today's race, and enjoyed it. Is it my imagination, or is the field much, much smaller than in the old days? I remember six rows, five wide at the start.

 

Oh, and what is Alice? Lots of ads for it around the track and on Stoner's gear.

 

What engine configuration are they running?

 

One more: What's with the bar codes on all the Ducati clothing?

 

I wish I could get down to Laguna Seca this summer, but no way, no how is that going to happen.

[JerryMather]

Oh, and what is Alice? Lots of ads for it around the track and on Stoner's gear.

 

What engine configuration are they running?

 

One more: What's with the bar codes on all the Ducati clothing?

 

I believe Alice in an I.T. Company in Europe, but not sure.

 

The motors are one off four cylinder four stroke 800 cc

 

The bars on the Ducati are a way for them to show their sponsor, Marlboro cigarettes, since they can't show the cirgarette name on TV. The same is true in F-1 with the Ferrari team.

[RonStewart]

Thanks, Jerry. So Ducati isn't running a twin. I suppose they have valve springs too?

[JerryMather]

They were pushed over to the Dark Side by those other guys.

[90%angel]

No, I'm not gonna go postal, Jerry. I'm disappointed for Nicky (Russell and I were guessing this is probably his worst season...EVER, in any series he's run in), so I hope he gets whatever it is sorted out soon (whether that is his riding style, bike, tire, all three, or something else.)

 

I am happy for Stoner; I was not holding out a lot of hope for that kid this year; didn't think he would mature so fast. We always said he would be a formidable competitor if he could just figure out how to stay on the bike. Well, he's figured it out!

 

I am enjoying Rossi this year. They're making him work for it, for sure!

 

I just wish the racing was better this year. Last season was better by far (and no, not because Nicky was winning! ). Just better racing IMO. You just had no idea until the last lap (most races) who was going to take it. Here, you pretty much have it figured out after the first few laps. yawn. The 250 race is much more exciting (and we got our Euro announcers for that one too! The "absolutely flying" drinking game lives!) and don't get me started on WSB...most interesting series, I think.

[Deadboy]

The NASCAR comment was pretty bad but the single worst observation was the "Rossi in the rear view mirror of Stoner, pressing him" one.....my wife about fell off the couch.....

 

Nice race by the top 3, but the Ducati is the bike to beat for sure....wonder how much longer they can go without a mechanical failure, they were always good for a few of those in the past few seasons (as was Yamaha last year)......should be pretty far into the season before someone (Stoner or Rossi most likely) takes total control....

 

The 250 race on Speed was much better.........

[russell_bynum]

I would have much preferred to hear how Stoner, Rossi, and Pedrosa were "absolutely flying" ad nauseam.

 

That's our drinking game during races. Every time he says "Absolutely flying", take a drink. This is the first time I've been conscious at the end of a race.

[markgoodrich]

I've searched everywhere, but cannot find any scheduled rebroadcast of the race...if there is one, i sure would appreciate the date and time.

 

Beware, CBS also has German, Dutch and Seca to broadcast; set your dvr accordingly, so you don't miss the races...like i missed yesterday's.

[RonStewart]

Asking the question again, in case you missed it:

Is it my imagination, or is the field much, much smaller than in the old days? I remember six rows, five wide at the start.

Is my memory faulty?

[StretchMark]

I liked how the announcer kept calling them "drivers" and Schwantz would correct him with "riders" every time.

 

Fun race to watch. To me, what Rossi is doing on the brakes is far more impressive than what Stoner is doing on the gas. But kudos to Casey for having the mental toughness to not get rattled by the Doctor

Looks like he may have the right stuff to win a championship.

[flars]

I think the best quote was by Kevin. When one of the bikes 'blowed up' (NASCAR term) he said to the effect 'I think he might have a mechanical problem'.

My big question (and the answer might be 'tires') is why Rossi continually runs wide. Yes, I know he is frequently late on the brakes, but I don't think that is what is happening in these cases. Sometimes it just looks like he can't get the bike turned.

I loved watching Stoner and Rossi - neither one of them backed off when the other rider was right next to them. That takes cojones grande.

Also - didn't they put traction control on all these bikes? That would explain why you never see the back end stepping out at the exits when they lay the power to it. Also - you don't see the rear end coming up under braking like they used to.

[russell_bynum]

Also - didn't they put traction control on all these bikes? That would explain why you never see the back end stepping out at the exits when they lay the power to it. Also - you don't see the rear end coming up under braking like they used to.

 

The MotoGP bikes have had traction control for quite some time now (including the 990's). It's tunable to allow varrying amounts of slip. We do occasionally see the 800's spinning, but it isn't as common because is generally isn't the fast way around like it was with the 990's.

 

I'd love to see an overhead map of the track showing each rider's line on the 800 compared to their line on the 990. I'll bet that would tell lots about why some riders seem to be having more trouble adjusting (Nicky, Loris, etc) to the new bike when their teammate on the same basic bike is doing much better. One of Vale's big strengths as a rider is he's always been able to adjust himself to work around whatever problem they're having with the bike. It therefore makes sense that he is adjusting very quickly to the new 800's.

[PhillyFlash]

Whoever the other announcer was, with about 5 laps to go asked something to the effect of "when do you think the leaders are going to let it all hang out?", to which Kevin responded in a very low key manner, "Uh, I think they already have." I don't think the guy knew much about MotoGP, and probably only what he learned in his pre-broadcast orientation. I think he came from the perspective of the racers all fall in a position, cruise for most of the race, and then on the last few laps go as hard as they can to win it at the end. I don't think he had a clue that these guys go balls-to-the-wall from start to finish.

 

But even with bad announcing, I'm in favor of anything that will get more motorcycle racing on more channels on more days.

[russell_bynum]

I don't think he had a clue that these guys go balls-to-the-wall from start to finish

 

He should watch a WSB race. Those guys are fricken nuts flag to flag.

[Couchrocket]

I think a couple of reasons:

Russell, I think you've put the "exact" words to my vague sense of it. Thanks...

[TowJam]

But even with bad announcing, I'm in favor of anything that will get more motorcycle racing on more channels on more days.

I have the solution to making MotoGP a household watching event in the US. Just convince this person to switch teams.

[RonStewart]

Oh, TJ, don't get me started!

[TowJam]

Oh, TJ, don't get me started!

Note that I didn't say she actually had to win anything.

[russell_bynum]

Looks like Nicky likes the new chassis

 

"Having matched team-mate Dani Pedrosa's pace on Monday, the American's best Tuesday time on race tyres, a lap of 1min 42.4secs, was the fastest of any rider on race tyres over the two days of the test."

[90%angel]

Having matched team-mate Dani Pedrosa's pace on Monday, the American's best Tuesday time on race tyres, a lap of 1min 42.4secs, was the fastest of any rider on race tyres over the two days of the test."

 

[texasaggie97]

Ditto:

Rossi was the better rider but the Dui power out matched him. In the twisties he was on but the straight aways Stoner leaned back on the throttle of the Duc and made the pass. I want you to know that I was glad to see CBS get into the Moto. Great race wow that was a rush

[Deadboy]

Nice but he was the fastest of 6 riders (2 were test riders).....not exactly the same thing as race conditions, and if you were Stoner (leading the championship) how hard would you push it?

 

1. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 42.40 secs

2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 42.76 secs

3. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 42.90 secs

4. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 43.09 secs

5. Shinichi Itoh JPN Ducati Test Rider (B) 1min 45.51 secs

6. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Suzuki Test Rider (B) 1min 46.01 secs

[russell_bynum]

Nice but he was the fastest of 6 riders (2 were test riders).....not exactly the same thing as race conditions, and if you were Stoner (leading the championship) how hard would you push it?

 

1. Nicky Hayden USA Repsol Honda Team (M) 1min 42.40 secs

2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 42.76 secs

3. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP (B) 1min 42.90 secs

4. Loris Capirossi ITA Ducati Marlboro Team (B) 1min 43.09 secs

5. Shinichi Itoh JPN Ducati Test Rider (B) 1min 45.51 secs

6. Nobuatsu Aoki JPN Suzuki Test Rider (B) 1min 46.01 secs

 

Sure sure...not a "Real" test. But it is definitely a step in the right direction. 1:42.4 (on race tires) is faster than any of the laps in the actual race on Sunday. His time on Q's wasn't all that great, but it was three tenths faster than he did on Q's on the old chassis, and would have put him another couple of spots up on the grid.

 

Good progress.