MOTO GP starts this weekend, anyone else watch this

[Trooper]

Well, looks like Simoncelli is definately getting himself noticed...but in the wrong way. He is making enemies very quickly out there. Pedrosa is out with another injury from the Simoncelli incident, and will probably miss two to three races. ( Im sure this will make Seth very sad...:roflblack

Besides that, it was nice to see the Doctor on the podium, as well as Dovizioso. The points race is really tight right now and the next few races will be very interesting.

 

[Raptor]

Well, looks like Simoncelli is definately getting himself noticed...but in the wrong way. He is making enemies very quickly out there. Pedrosa is out with another injury from the Simoncelli incident, and will probably miss two to three races. ( Im sure this will make Seth very sad...:roflblack

Besides that, it was nice to see the Doctor on the podium, as well as Dovizioso. The points race is really tight right now and the next few races will be very interesting.

Yes, Simoncelli made the wrong move there I thought. If he was that much better than Pedrosa he could have waited and performed a proper overtake on the next lap. I think the race directors were sending him a message with the ride through for sure. I think he needs some coaching with regards to racing in tight environments; the man is a bit reckless. We'll have to see what happens moving forward.

In the mean time, I am wondering now who will take that Repsol seat for the next few races. I am not familiar enough yet with the Rider Pool to even speculate who that might be. What do you guys think?

 

[Raptor]

Besides that, it was nice to see the Doctor on the podium, as well as Dovizioso. The points race is really tight right now and the next few races will be very interesting.

Forgot to comment on this point. Rossi seems much more comfortable on the Ducati now, and they are making gains. Lorenzo's consistency is just amazing. If he keeps this up he could well win it all again!

 

[Trooper]

Yes, Simoncelli made the wrong move there I thought. If he was that much better than Pedrosa he could have waited and performed a proper overtake on the next lap. I think the race directors were sending him a message with the ride through for sure. I think he needs some coaching with regards to racing in tight environments; the man is a bit reckless. We'll have to see what happens moving forward.

In the mean time, I am wondering now who will take that Repsol seat for the next few races. I am not familiar enough yet with the Rider Pool to even speculate who that might be. What do you guys think?

I also think Simoncelli could have waited. It was just a matter of time before he passed him anyways. He is from the old school style of racing...the Rossi style, bump and grind kind of racing.

Lorenzo, Dovi, Pedrosa, and most of the younger up and coming riders are more passive, although you would not have guessed with that aggressive overtake that Lorenzo pulled on Dovi early in the race.:sour:

I think Repsol will choose to keep it vacant and welcome the break to the race budget. They did not replace him last year when he went down so there's no reason to think they will do it in this case, especially considering they still have Stoner and Dovizioso who are both on the podium or close to it consistently. If they were far down in the points, they may have reconsidered.

Forgot to comment on this point. Rossi seems much more comfortable on the Ducati now, and they are making gains. Lorenzo's consistency is just amazing. If he keeps this up he could well win it all again!

Yes, Rossi is definately getting comfortable and seems to be doing well physically.His shoulder is not bothering him as much.

As for Lorenzo, I honestly think that it will be very, very difficult for him to repeat this year. He is consistent, but the Honda's are incredibly strong this year. I predict a Honda championship for 2011.

 

[Trooper]

Very entertaining race. :thumbup: I don't want to see anybody injuried but it sure doesn't break me up to see that little horse-jockey

be out for a couple of races. Actually if you do a frame by frame on that racing incident you can see Danny-boy straighten up and slide up into Simoncelli. I not really a fan of his either and he has always been sort of a wild card out there. The Doctor definatley put on a good show though. It won't be long before he is back on that top step again. :firstplace: :yes: hyea: :yes:

The reason that Pedrosa straigtened up like that is because Simoncelli hit his brake lever which caused him to bring the bike up. It was either a low side or bring it up and hope for the best. Either way it was going to be ugly.

:gaah:

 

[Raptor]

Trooper, I think you are correct in your observation of leaving the seat open. The other two are doing well enough at this point. And your point about Lorenzo is well taken also. Of course, it is very difficult to win a championship at this level in any sport, let alone repeat. The Repsol Hondas certainly do seem to have the field covered, at least for now.

It is a thing of beauty to watch these men ride. There were points in time during the broadcast that I lost touch with the race because I was just studying the technique, trying to pick up whatever I could. These guys are right on the razor's edge, and yet they pilot these machines with such grace and confidence. I think the rider makes much more of an impact in Moto GP than in any other form of motor sport. I mean, you still have to have superior equipment, but the ratio of rider to machine just seems higher to me, even more so than Formula one. In F1 the drivers are amazing as well, but the machines... well, they are masterpieces of technology and agility. So I think the ratio is weighted a bit more towards the machine in F1.

Can't wait for the next round. :yes:

 

[Trooper]

Trooper, I think you are correct in your observation of leaving the seat open. The other two are doing well enough at this point. And your point about Lorenzo is well taken also. Of course, it is very difficult to win a championship at this level in any sport, let alone repeat. The Repsol Hondas certainly do seem to have the field covered, at least for now.

It is a thing of beauty to watch these men ride. There were points in time during the broadcast that I lost touch with the race because I was just studying the technique, trying to pick up whatever I could. These guys are right on the razor's edge, and yet they pilot these machines with such grace and confidence. I think the rider makes much more of an impact in Moto GP than in any other form of motor sport. I mean, you still have to have superior equipment, but the ratio of rider to machine just seems higher to me, even more so than Formula one. In F1 the drivers are amazing as well, but the machines... well, they are masterpieces of technology and agility. So I think the ratio is weighted a bit more towards the machine in F1.

Can't wait for the next round. :yes:

Yeah, it astonishes me every time as well just how close to the edge they really are. If you have ever seen any slow motion footage of one of these guys coming into a corner, it is amazing. They are braking so hard on the front that the rear tire is acually suspended in air, and once it is on the ground, they are often drifting around the corner. The amount of control they have is absolutely incredible.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw24pY6ScNA&feature=related[/ame]


...and who can forget this battle. Talk about being on the edge...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfPM77TsGaA&feature=related[/ame]


:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

 

[Raptor]

I AM NOT WORTHY! :bowdown::bowdown:

 

[Raptor]

Totally agree. I guess Pedrosa has had surgery to repair the collar bone just recently. He is trying to come back for the next race! I'm not so sure about that. I like the grit, He might should give it some time to heal though. We'll see what happens...

 

[Trooper]

Alright MotoGP fans, get out your predictions...Catalunya this weekend.

It will be a Honda win:

Stoner
Simoncelli
Lorenzo

Dovi in 4th

fight for fifth between Rossi, Spies, and Edwards.

:clap:

 

[Raptor]

Alright MotoGP fans, get out your predictions...Catalunya this weekend.

It will be a Honda win:

Stoner
Simoncelli
Lorenzo

Dovi in 4th

fight for fifth between Rossi, Spies, and Edwards.

:clap:

I have to agree I like Stoner fore the win. So its

Stoner
Lorenzo
Rossi

Dovi and Spies will be factors for sure. Not convinced Simoncelli will finish, so he is a wildcard to me! Either way, It's going to be good!

 

[SethO]

I got to get my tickets to indy.


I am going to BIR where the CRA motorcycle races are going on, on June 11th


I think its going to be

lorentho
rossi
spies,

sim will crash out stoner when they are going for 1st and 2nd.

 

[Raptor]

Well, guys, we were all pretty close on that one! One thing was for sure, no one seemed to have much faith in my man Simincelli! :roflblack: He got a lousy start and just kind of languished back there in 6th the whole rest of the way. It was nice to see a good clean race for a change.

But the Moto2 and the 125 guys sure had a tussle or two! Wild stuff man! And Silverstone in just a few days! I found this snippet interesting:

" Regarding rumors of his (Hiroshi Aoyama) possibly replacing Dani Pedrosa on the Repsol Honda team at the Silverstone race, Aoyama confirms that there were talks about it: "It is true we were talking about it, and that we even considered the option, but we ultimately rejected it, because if I left my team they would have trouble finding a replacement. It was a good opportunity but in any case I am very satisfied with my team.” "

So it looks like the Repsol boys may just be looking for a pilot for that empty seat after all...

 

[Trooper]

Yeah, pretty uneventful race. Dissapointing for Simoncelli considering he had pole. Only surprise was Spies on the podium.

On to Silverstone !!!

 

[Raptor]

Check this out guys. Seth, this one is especially for you. We talked about John Hopkins a while back and I think that this speaks tothe man's character. He's A-OK in my book!

"Former MotoGP star John Hopkins won't replace the injured Dani Pedrosa at Repsol Honda, or Colin Edwards at Tech 3 Yamaha, in next weekend's British MotoGP.

Hopkins, a full time MotoGP rider from 2002-2008, claimed tenth place for Rizla Suzuki as a stand-in for the injured Alvaro Bautista at this year's wet Spanish Grand Prix.

But while the Suzuki MotoGP ride was compatible with his Crescent Suzuki BSB contract, racing for another brand is a different matter and the American - currently second in the British Superbike Championship - will not be on an RC212V or YZR-M1 at Silverstone.

"I'm so honored to have even been considered for such top level MotoGP rides and yes a full time MotoGP ride is my future goal, but I am contracted to Samsung Crescent Suzuki and I believe remaining 100% loyal and honoring my current commitments will pay off in the end!" Hopkins wrote on his Twitter page @JHopper21.

With the Misano WSBK round also taking place next weekend, British Superbike or MotoGP test riders are the most obvious choice for Repsol/Tech 3... although Yamaha's WSS title contender Luca Scassa will also be free, having been banned from the Misano round due to some 'illegal' laps of the circuit as part of a riding school.

Without Pedrosa and Edwards, the MotoGP field has been reduced to just 15 riders."

So we have a short grid this week, but I don't care! I just want to see them ride...

 

[SethO]

Check this out guys. Seth, this one is especially for you. We talked about John Hopkins a while back and I think that this speaks tothe man's character. He's A-OK in my book!

"Former MotoGP star John Hopkins won't replace the injured Dani Pedrosa at Repsol Honda, or Colin Edwards at Tech 3 Yamaha, in next weekend's British MotoGP.

Hopkins, a full time MotoGP rider from 2002-2008, claimed tenth place for Rizla Suzuki as a stand-in for the injured Alvaro Bautista at this year's wet Spanish Grand Prix.

But while the Suzuki MotoGP ride was compatible with his Crescent Suzuki BSB contract, racing for another brand is a different matter and the American - currently second in the British Superbike Championship - will not be on an RC212V or YZR-M1 at Silverstone.

"I'm so honored to have even been considered for such top level MotoGP rides and yes a full time MotoGP ride is my future goal, but I am contracted to Samsung Crescent Suzuki and I believe remaining 100% loyal and honoring my current commitments will pay off in the end!" Hopkins wrote on his Twitter page @JHopper21.

With the Misano WSBK round also taking place next weekend, British Superbike or MotoGP test riders are the most obvious choice for Repsol/Tech 3... although Yamaha's WSS title contender Luca Scassa will also be free, having been banned from the Misano round due to some 'illegal' laps of the circuit as part of a riding school.

Without Pedrosa and Edwards, the MotoGP field has been reduced to just 15 riders."

So we have a short grid this week, but I don't care! I just want to see them ride...

I do as well, need a real competitive american, spies is doing the best right now.

 

[Raptor]

Man, the weather really killed the event yesterday. I was a little scared for Lorenzo there when he went over; it looked bad for a second. Thank goodness he popped right up. Still not sure what Spies' condition is; he was having back pain last I heard. I think there were all of 9 bikes still running at the end of the race. Too bad, too, because I really like that track.

Oh well, congrats to Mister Stoner, the man is on quite a tear and is now the points leader. It would be great if they could get a few more bikes on the grid. They were so strung out yesterday there were no significant battles on the track at all from half-way to the finish!

 

[SethO]

true, simy and lor both caught bad puddles I think and colin edwards was high on race fuel.

too bad about spies, I though he would be in a better spot after a great start from him.

stoner has really stepped up, HRC is already smug with victory.

 

[Trooper]

All my respect goes to Colin Edwards. Who says motorcycle riders are wimps !!! LOL

I had a feeling that Honda was going to be the team to beat this year, but I didnt think that Ducati was going to be so behind. Hell, Rossi practically started in the back of the grid !! I dont remember the last time I saw that...

Pretty bad season for Simoncelli so far, he has only completed 50% of the races thus far and all of the ones he crashed out in, he was in position for a podium. :gaah:

 

[Raptor]

All my respect goes to Colin Edwards. Who says motorcycle riders are wimps !!! LOL

I had a feeling that Honda was going to be the team to beat this year, but I didnt think that Ducati was going to be so behind. Hell, Rossi practically started in the back of the grid !! I dont remember the last time I saw that...

Pretty bad season for Simoncelli so far, he has only completed 50% of the races thus far and all of the ones he crashed out in, he was in position for a podium. :gaah:

Totally agree about Colin Edwards. That was a very gutsy performance, given he could have gone down again and really messed things up for himself physically. That was a huge podium!

As for Simoncelli, I think it shows what a significant jump it is to go the premier class from the 250s and 125s. He did very well there and won some races. It could be he's having issues with the bigger machines, even with a year under his belt. He crashed out of a World Superbike race the one time he got on one of those, so I don't know. He sure seems to have the talent but needs to adjust his riding style to handle the big machines a bit better. This is pure speculation on my part but it seems to make sense.

I don't know what the heck is wrong with Ducati. Is it the front end they are struggling with or just over-all balance of the bike? They need to figure it out pretty soon. Or maybe they have already cashed in their chips for this year and are focusing on the 2012 spec. I hope that's not the case, I would like to see them compete a bit harder.