JEREZ RACES: SPOILERS SPOILERS

[markgoodrich]

The 250 race was just amazing. Those kids are fearless AND fast. What were there, 356 lead changes?

 

I personally am delighted to see Rossi atop the podium, and beginning to build a little lead in the championship. Remarkable, the way he can come from so far back to catch a leader, then simply ride away.

 

But what's the deal with Hayden? Is it the bike? Injuries? No one but Stoner can ride the thing?

[swfraley]

On the one hand, Rossi is amazing.

 

On the other, "Oh, Rossi's winning again. Let's see what's on the Fishing Channel."

 

As for Nicky, he's still new to the bike, he didn't get any track time in Japan, he's had a couple of significant crashes......If you like the guy, there are plenty of explanations.

[Deadboy]

Rossi is simply the best and I can only think Hayden is simply befuddled by the duck....he has had enough practice time to be in the top 10 at least, I hate to say this but I am starting to think some of Pedrosa's criticisms of Hayden are coming true...Pedrosa on the other hand is starting to earn my respect....he is clearly injured and had very limited time on the bike and is still riding very well...

[Bill_Walker]

Yep. I don't usually watch the 250s, but my new DVR picked up the 250 race on the "record series" option, so I checked it out, and was I ever glad I did! That had to be one of the most amazing moto races I've seen! And of course, your count didn't include all the passes for 2nd!

[Paul In Australia]

The 250 race was just amazing. Those kids are fearless AND fast. What were there, 356 lead changes?

 

I personally am delighted to see Rossi atop the podium, and beginning to build a little lead in the championship. Remarkable, the way he can come from so far back to catch a leader, then simply ride away.

 

But what's the deal with Hayden? Is it the bike? Injuries? No one but Stoner can ride the thing?

 

Don't write Stoner off yet. I'll back him any time . Rossi is good but not that good. Stoner on song, eats him alive.

regards

PCH

[lvnvbiker]

I think Hayden is still getting used to not being able to back it into the corners as much as before. Once he gets settled he'll be back.

[VinnyR11]

You guys convinced me to check out the 250's next race. The big bikes had a pretty good race until the very end as well.

 

I'm glad to see Rossi do his thing. The guy is a blast to watch, and I'm also wondering what's really up with Hayden. I can't imagine it's all bike...is it?

 

Paul, it doesn't sound like anyone's writing off Stoner. Mark's post sounded just the opposite to me. Tough for anyone watching GP to write him off.

[BanjoBoy]

The 250 race was just amazing. Those kids are fearless AND fast. What were there, 356 lead changes?

 

I personally am delighted to see Rossi atop the podium, and beginning to build a little lead in the championship. Remarkable, the way he can come from so far back to catch a leader, then simply ride away.

 

But what's the deal with Hayden? Is it the bike? Injuries? No one but Stoner can ride the thing?

 

Don't write Stoner off yet. I'll back him any time . Rossi is good but not that good. Stoner on song, eats him alive.

regards

PCH

Stoner on song maybe, but Rossi's consistency rules supreme! Anybody who can jump from the dominant Honda (back in the day) to the under dog Yamaha, and still spank everybody proves he is the best in the world.

I'm waiting for Mladin to jump on a Honda in AMA, and see how he does?

[Semper_Fi]

Missed the 250's - saw the GP main.

 

Did see Stoner out brake Rossi - wow very few people can do that.

 

Rossi was outstanding yesterday - methodical and predatory on Danni.

 

Great racing by the top 4 until Rossi and Danni broke free.

 

Hopefully Hayden can snap out of it and get a handle on his ride.

 

 

[Koop]

On the one hand, Rossi is amazing.

 

On the other, "Oh, Rossi's winning again. Let's see what's on the Fishing Channel."

 

As for Nicky, he's still new to the bike, he didn't get any track time in Japan, he's had a couple of significant crashes......If you like the guy, there are plenty of explanations.

 

OK...Three races into the championship. Three different winners. Go ahead and watch fishing, I'm hooked on Moto GP and WSBK.

[russell_bynum]

Missed the 250's - saw the GP main.

 

Did see Stoner out brake Rossi - wow very few people can do that.

 

Rossi was outstanding yesterday - methodical and predatory on Danni.

 

Great racing by the top 4 until Rossi and Danni broke free.

 

Hopefully Hayden can snap out of it and get a handle on his ride.

 

 

Indeed. Casey showed what he was made of and rode a great race on a setup he wasn't happy with at a track he's never gone well at in the past.

 

Lorenzo looked really good until the crash. We watched that crash about 6 times on the DVR...he lost the front, but fought it seemingly forever on his knee before the rear finally came around and down he went. Pitty.

 

Dani...I don't know what to make of that guy. He's got to be one of the toughest mofrackers in the paddock and an incredibly talented rider (though he sucks on the brakes). And how about that enthusiastic slap he gave Rossi on the cool-down? It almost seemed like he enjoyed racing motorcycles for a living. Then they do the post-race interview and it's like his dog just died. WTF?

 

It's great to see Marco Melandri back on form, too.

 

I dunno what's up with Nicky. He said he couldn't get the bike to work on the hard tires so he was on the softs, and even then he couldn't get heat into the tires. Seems like he's going the wrong direction with the setup because the rest of the front runners were saying they wanted harder tires. He's probably also still recovering from the huge highside during Qatar qualifying and being T-boned at Motegi but I'm not sure how much of that is to blame.

 

[flars]

"...I dunno what's up with Nicky"

It was interesting to see the video showing the front tire on Stoner's bike. It looked like the front just didn't want to stay planted. The bike kept shaking its head, and that is VERRRY unnerving, but I would imagine Nicky could handle that aspect of the nuances of the Duc.

Nicky has mentioned the almost disconcerting way the Duc reacts to the throttle. The engine reacts differently depending on the initial throttle opening coming off corners, so I imagine that is quite a learning curve also. But I would imagine Nicky could handle that aspect, also.

Maybe he really does have a problem with suspension setup...

[VinnyR11]

I've been trying Rossi's "hang the leg out during cornering" on my last ride to the grocery store. I didn't get there much faster.

 

He must have a better bike than me.

[Semper_Fi]

I've been trying Rossi's "hang the leg out during cornering" on my last ride to the grocery store.....

 

What's up with that?!?

 

Also he is not the only one doing it - monkey see, monkey do?

[VinnyR11]

I've been trying Rossi's "hang the leg out during cornering" on my last ride to the grocery store.....

 

What's up with that?!?

 

Also he is not the only one doing it - monkey see, monkey do?

 

Not sure what he gains by it, if anything, but "monkey see 8 Time World Champion, monkey do" might not be a bad strategy.

[markgoodrich]

I've been trying Rossi's "hang the leg out during cornering" on my last ride to the grocery store.....

 

What's up with that?!?

 

Also he is not the only one doing it - monkey see, monkey do?

 

The announcers actually mentioned this the other day. They said Rossi can't explain exactly why he does it or what it actually does, but that he feels as if he gets better braking force when he dangles the leg. It's a quirk. And yes, they said others are doing it because Vale does it.

[russell_bynum]

"...I dunno what's up with Nicky"

It was interesting to see the video showing the front tire on Stoner's bike. It looked like the front just didn't want to stay planted. The bike kept shaking its head, and that is VERRRY unnerving, but I would imagine Nicky could handle that aspect of the nuances of the Duc.

Nicky has mentioned the almost disconcerting way the Duc reacts to the throttle. The engine reacts differently depending on the initial throttle opening coming off corners, so I imagine that is quite a learning curve also. But I would imagine Nicky could handle that aspect, also.

Maybe he really does have a problem with suspension setup...

 

Right.

 

Casey has also commented that it's a strange animal with regards to setup. Sometimes you make one tiny adjustment and it's a totally different bike. Sometimes they'll turn the thing inside out and change everything and it doesn't make any difference.

 

I thought Nicky's comment after his first session on the Ducati when he switched teams was really telling. He came in and said "I don't know what they pay Casey but it's not enough. They need to double it, because this thing can be a monster!"

[David]

My gut tells me that Nicky will never again be a contender. Yeah, he's had issues with switching bikes, being a second-tier team, tension with teammates, etc. But a world class either is good enough to avoid those things or knows how to overcome them.

 

I thought it was a fluke when he won GP, and I think that was the apex of his career.

 

Edwards is way past the apex.

 

Spies will be better than Mladin.

[russell_bynum]

Nicky won the championship on consistency and some other riders' bad luck. Rossi kept having bike problems. Capirossi was taken out by Gibernau at that big crash in Barcelona.

 

In a head-to-head battle against the top guys, he might win now and then if everything's working well, but I agree that he's never going to be a contender for the title unless the other guys have problems. And there's so many people in GP right now with a real possibility of winning, that bad stuff would have to happen to lots of folks for him to have another title shot (and that's assuming he can make the bike work...which right now he can't.)

 

He ran pretty well on the 990's, but hasn't been able to do anything on the 800's. Before that, he was dominant on the superbike. I'm thinking it might be interesting to have him in World Superbike.

 

I agree about Edwards, though he does pull one out every now and then. Edwards was awesome in world superbike...maybe there's a slot for both of them.

 

Of course...I know the promoters want Americans in the series, and I don't really see any other Americans (other than Spies...who WILL be world champion someday) who could get it done.

 

[swfraley]

My gut tells me that Nicky will never again be a contender. ...

 

Spies will be better than Mladin.

 

 

+1 to both comments. Though I like Nicky in a lot of ways, he seems to be taking the same role as Dale Earnhardt, Jr: Popularity out of proportion to performance.

 

[Linz]

Spies is the fastest rider on a Superbike that I've seen, but he needs to learn to stay on it. Lorenzo was blindingly fast last year, faster than Stoner or Rossi but he kept hurling it into the shrubbery (see again this week).

Hayden could win again (IMO) if the leading 15 riders all fell off. Edwards just circulates to fill the field. Suzuki can't keep blaming poor power for their poor performances. Vermulan and Capirossi are just circulating. Melandri looks promising again on an uncompetitive bike.

Rossi, Stoner, Lorenzo, Devizioso and Pedrosa. Vermulan if it pours with rain somewhere and they don't cancel the race. I can't see anyone else in the field able to win against that group.

 

Linz

[David]

I do miss Xaus, though, who is sort of the Aaron Yates of the Moto GP world: hang in the top four for a half dozen laps and then fall off.

[russell_bynum]

I do miss Xaus, though, who is sort of the Aaron Yates of the Moto GP world: hang in the top four for a half dozen laps and then fall off.

 

That's the old Ruben Xaus (or...I guess...the Young Ruben Xaus): Run with the front guys and then crash so spectacularly that no part of the motorcycle could be used again.

 

The new Reuben Xaus seems to be much less prone towards bursting into flames...but also less prone towards running at the front.

 

Haga's been interesting so far. We haven't really seen consistency from him before, but he's just been solid as a rock all season.

[David]

Yes, for sure on Haga. I don't cringe when I watch him.

 

When I watch Xaus, though, I want to get my ether and glass bottle out--he looks like an insect that might set a new record!

[russell_bynum]

Yes, for sure on Haga. I don't cringe when I watch him.

 

When I watch Xaus, though, I want to get my ether and glass bottle out--he looks like an insect that might set a new record!

 

LOL. Yeah...us tall guys don't fit very well on them little bitty sportbikes.

[IanW]

Interesting Stats:

 

MotoGP

Championships: Stoner 1, Hayden 1

 

Races won: Stoner 17, Hayden 3

 

Ian

[russell_bynum]

Interesting Stats:

 

MotoGP

Championships: Stoner 1, Hayden 1

 

Races won: Stoner 17, Hayden 3

 

Ian

 

For sure Casey and Nicky are not in the same league. I would be amazed if Casey didn't win another championship, and equally amazed if Nicky did.

[90%angel]

Hmmm...been reading all the comments and not sure how to respond.

 

I'm a huge Hayden fan, so obviously I hope he hasn't peaked yet. However, it's clear he's never gotten comfortable on the 800s. Go then, and throw him on a new bike, new tires, less testing time and throw in a nasty high side for good measure, and yeah, the results aren't going to be there. Will they be? Only time will tell. I just don't know. He got better and better on the 990s, so one can only hope he does the same with the 800s, but the 990s were very similar to Superbike style, on which he excelled. We'll see. So far, everyone who has a shot at the title on an 800 is a former 125/250 guy...don't see any superbike guys as contenders. Would be really interesting to see what Spies would be able to do since he too is a superbike badass.

 

Unfortunately, WSBK is seen as a demotion (and is a huge demotion in pay), but I too think Nicky would kick ass in that venue. For now, here's hoping he finds his rythym on the MotoGP bike and if he goes out, goes out on a high, rather than a low.

 

As for Pedrobot, as long as he stays with Puig, I wish him nothing but failure. Get out from under that jackhat then maybe I'll change my mind.