MotoGP Starts this weekend

[BobbyBlue]

Surly, Bug, I love ya both, so i aint gettin in the middle of this, but it was GREAT seeing YAMAHA at number one podium position with some pretty worthy competition...but i'm easy, i was glad just waking up to another day... 2012 is underway !!! And the last MotoGP champ...ever...in the history of the world...ever...will be ???

Bobby

 

[Denver_FJR]

Did Stoner get played? Was beginning to look like last season where Stoner takes the lead and race is over. This time Lorenzo reeled him in.

And what about Spies? Ugh. Edwards on a CRT bike almost got him! Was hoping the bigger 1000cc bikes would work in his favor.

 

[El Toro]

Did Stoner get played? Was beginning to look like last season where Stoner takes the lead and race is over. This time Lorenzo reeled him in.

And what about Spies? Ugh. Edwards on a CRT bike almost got him! Was hoping the bigger 1000cc bikes would work in his favor.

During the race the commentators kept talking about tire management, but in the end, the only interview I remember about tire management was Rossi complaining that his tires had too much grip at the beginning, and did not settle in for many laps.

After the race in his interviews Stoner blamed a physical problem (arm pump) with his right forearm. He did not blame anything on the bike, but took the full blame himself. Saturday after QP he was negative about the team not listening to him regarding the traction control, but on Sunday he did not criticize the team or the bike to the media.

Spies and Yamaha blamed Spies' troubles on a chatter problem that just showed up too late to fix. He was only 1 second ahead of Edwards on the Suter/BMW. Another lap, and Edwards might have beat him.

Meanwhile the battle between Dovi and Crutchlow was quite exciting, but the feature was the battle at the front ... particularly between Lorenzo and Pedrosa as Stoner faded. Dani was only 8 tenths behind Jorge when they crossed the line.

 

[Auburn]

Surly, Bug, I love ya both, so i aint gettin in the middle of this, but it was GREAT seeing YAMAHA at number one podium position with some pretty worthy competition...but i'm easy, i was glad just waking up to another day... 2012 is underway !!! And the last MotoGP champ...ever...in the history of the world...ever...will be ???

Bobby

I was surprised how good the CRT bikes did. Colin was only 58 seconds behind, which is not that bad. Spies was only a couple of seconds ahead of him at the end.

 

[El Toro]

I was surprised how good the CRT bikes did. Colin was only 58 seconds behind, which is not that bad. Spies was only a couple of seconds ahead of him at the end.

Colin was 58 somethin' behind Jorge and Ben was 57 somethin', so another lap or two and Colin might have had Spies. Rossi was maybe 22 seconds ahead of Spies.

Colin's time was, on average, only 2.6 seconds per lap shy of the winner. That's really far better than might have been expected, and it is a testimony to Colin's riding ability. He was saying before the race that he had never done a full race simulation on the bike and he wasn't sure if he could hold on for the entire 22 laps.

Randy DePuniet was behind Colin by a fair margin on the Aprilia powered ART CRT.

I'm wondering if the Blue Roundel Boys will give Forward Racing more support and also take more credit and use Colin's success in advertising and promotion. I suppose it is hard to make a good case for why being the first among the CRTs across the finish line is a good thing when the actual position is 12th.

I had been joking before the race that Dorna would have to create a CRT pole contest for 13th on the grid (maybe give away a Mercedes Smart car or something), and then create a CRT podium for 13th, 14th, and 15th.

After QP when they rolled Colin's bike into Parc Fermez as the best of the CRTs, I had to chuckle.

Colin said after QP that he was in a familiar spot on the grid, i.e. 2 rows behind Dani. Of course this was because Dani's QP was lousy and he was in the 3rd row. A major highlight of the race was Dani's trademarked launch from 7th into 2nd before the 1st corner. If Dani can do nothing else, he sure knows how to get off the line when the lights turn.

 

[phroenips]

...the only interview I remember about tire management was Rossi complaining that his tires had too much grip at the beginning, and did not settle in for many laps.

I hate it when my tires have too much grip!

/proves I'm not a racer

 

[wfooshee]

I read somewhere that the chatter problem on Spies's bike showed up in warm-up, and they didn't have time to sort it out.

 

[Auburn]

I was surprised how good the CRT bikes did. Colin was only 58 seconds behind, which is not that bad. Spies was only a couple of seconds ahead of him at the end.

Colin was 58 somethin' behind Jorge and Ben was 57 somethin', so another lap or two and Colin might have had Spies. Rossi was maybe 22 seconds ahead of Spies.

Colin's time was, on average, only 2.6 seconds per lap shy of the winner. That's really far better than might have been expected, and it is a testimony to Colin's riding ability. He was saying before the race that he had never done a full race simulation on the bike and he wasn't sure if he could hold on for the entire 22 laps.

Randy DePuniet was behind Colin by a fair margin on the Aprilia powered ART CRT.

I'm wondering if the Blue Roundel Boys will give Forward Racing more support and also take more credit and use Colin's success in advertising and promotion. I suppose it is hard to make a good case for why being the first among the CRTs across the finish line is a good thing when the actual position is 12th.

I had been joking before the race that Dorna would have to create a CRT pole contest for 13th on the grid (maybe give away a Mercedes Smart car or something), and then create a CRT podium for 13th, 14th, and 15th.

After QP when they rolled Colin's bike into Parc Fermez as the best of the CRTs, I had to chuckle.

Colin said after QP that he was in a familiar spot on the grid, i.e. 2 rows behind Dani. Of course this was because Dani's QP was lousy and he was in the 3rd row. A major highlight of the race was Dani's trademarked launch from 7th into 2nd before the 1st corner. If Dani can do nothing else, he sure knows how to get off the line when the lights turn.

wait 'til they insitute a minimum rider/bike weight. That will take care of Dani boys launches.

I think, once the CRT's get their electronics packages dialed in more the gap will be cut by a fair amount. BMW/Suter has the right person to develope the bike for them.

 

[Denver_FJR]

I was surprised how good the CRT bikes did. Colin was only 58 seconds behind, which is not that bad. Spies was only a couple of seconds ahead of him at the end.

Same here, but what's in it for the CRT teams? Sure, the CRT bikes will probably improve but does anyone think one of them will be on the podium? And if they're not going to win, who would put up the cash for them to race?

 

[Auburn]

I was surprised how good the CRT bikes did. Colin was only 58 seconds behind, which is not that bad. Spies was only a couple of seconds ahead of him at the end.

Same here, but what's in it for the CRT teams? Sure, the CRT bikes will probably improve but does anyone think one of them will be on the podium? And if they're not going to win, who would put up the cash for them to race?

My guess is the prototypes are going to go away in the next couple of years and the CRT will take over. They want to fill the grid and put on a better show where more than three or four have an actual chance to win. ALso so Dorna is not beholden to the factories then. They can come or go, Dorna could care less. I think it is a very good long term move on Dorna's part. I also think the CRT teams are getting start money from Dorna on the hush-hush.

 

[El Toro]

My guess is the prototypes are going to go away in the next couple of years and the CRT will take over. They want to fill the grid and put on a better show where more than three or four have an actual chance to win. ALso so Dorna is not beholden to the factories then. They can come or go, Dorna could care less. I think it is a very good long term move on Dorna's part. I also think the CRT teams are getting start money from Dorna on the hush-hush.

I think you're right that Dorna and Ezpeleta specifically are busy trying to get more long term teams.

But what they're doing is trying to cripple the factories in order to allow the lower budget teams to get competitive.

For me Grand Prix racing has always been about "no holds barred." Ezpeleta is killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

He says his goal is to give the masses a greater spectacle. So those of us who want to see the latest and greatest in technology will take a back seat to those who want to see a NASCAR style paint tradin' homologated traffic jam.

For me its not about the thrill of lead changes at the end, although that's always a nice addition. For me the true spectacle is to see records fall year after year while the very best riders take the very best technology and give us the very best individual performance.

Lots of people whine about how boring MotoGP has been.... those are the folks that Ezpeleta is catering to.

FWIW, Stoner is on record as being somewhat disappointed with the trend toward abandonment of the prototype era.

 

[Thug]

AB....I .had the fortunate pleasure to meet all the GP Honda riders last year at the Phillip Island GP Honda Dinner, including Simoncelli. I was very pleasantly surprised they were all really very unassuming, polite and mostly quite shy. They also had their very funny stories and moments...Simoncelli was a pisser such a down to earth guy (as were all) and will be very sadly missed. I only had a glimps of the real young man but a memory I will carry forever. I always thought Pedrosa was up himslef but to my surprise he was a realy nice guy and most of these riders are little fuckers! exceptions for Stoner and Simon.

If you get a chance try and see if you can find an interview with an Aussie TV crew asking him about what it is like when he rides at 300KPH + it is ******* hilarious!!! Look up on Youtube below

Marco Simoncelli Interview - What is it like riding at 320km/h?

 

[Denver_FJR]

Linky here...

Nothing lost in translation there, heh.

 

[TwoWhldTerror]

For me its not about the thrill of lead changes at the end, although that's always a nice addition. For me the true spectacle is to see records fall year after year while the very best riders take the very best technology and give us the very best individual performance.

Lots of people whine about how boring MotoGP has been.... those are the folks that Ezpeleta is catering to.

I, for one, respect that BUT you are a severe minority. I love watching motorcycle racing, even did a little bit of amateur racing myself awhile ago, but just watching some guy rip around the track 5 seconds ahead of everyone else, while the real "action" is back in 6&7th place is NOT fun. Even an enthusiast such as myself will start skipping forward on the race to see what happens.

Sorry but for me I welcome, wholeheartedly, the changes they are making.

 

[Bugnatr]

For me its not about the thrill of lead changes at the end, although that's always a nice addition. For me the true spectacle is to see records fall year after year while the very best riders take the very best technology and give us the very best individual performance.

Lots of people whine about how boring MotoGP has been.... those are the folks that Ezpeleta is catering to.

I, for one, respect that BUT you are a severe minority. I love watching motorcycle racing, even did a little bit of amateur racing myself awhile ago, but just watching some guy rip around the track 5 seconds ahead of everyone else, while the real "action" is back in 6&7th place is NOT fun. Even an enthusiast such as myself will start skipping forward on the race to see what happens.

Sorry but for me I welcome, wholeheartedly, the changes they are making.

Agreed, a few years back WSB had the most entertaining racing but now it seems AMA 600's and even the 1000's have had the most competitive series. It may suck for the racers themselves but it makes watching a lot more fun.

 

[Surly]

For me its not about the thrill of lead changes at the end, although that's always a nice addition. For me the true spectacle is to see records fall year after year while the very best riders take the very best technology and give us the very best individual performance.

Lots of people whine about how boring MotoGP has been.... those are the folks that Ezpeleta is catering to.

I, for one, respect that BUT you are a severe minority. I love watching motorcycle racing, even did a little bit of amateur racing myself awhile ago, but just watching some guy rip around the track 5 seconds ahead of everyone else, while the real "action" is back in 6&7th place is NOT fun. Even an enthusiast such as myself will start skipping forward on the race to see what happens.

Sorry but for me I welcome, wholeheartedly, the changes they are making.

Agreed, a few years back WSB had the most entertaining racing but now it seems AMA 600's and even the 1000's have had the most competitive series. It may suck for the racers themselves but it makes watching a lot more fun.

I thought that this was entertainment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoIgjieAPXo

Please credit were it is due.

 

[wfooshee]

OK, on to Moto3. I saw Speed's coverage of that one yesterday, and rather enjoyed it. I like the sound of those "dirt-bike motors" a lot more than I did the "chain-saws" of the 2-strokes. Nice battle for the lead for a while, and a very large group of 8 bikes or so fighting for 3rd. The 3rd-place fight went all the way to the last lap before they strung out and separated themselves from each other.

I haven't seen anything other than lap times about how the Moto3 bikes compare in riding to the 125s. Top end? Cornering speed? Dunno. Just looking, they seemed to keep accelerating down the straight, rather than reaching top speed and cruising the rest of the way. Their lap times were a couple seconds or so off of the 125s, I think.

 

[MotorToad]

wait 'til they insitute a minimum rider/bike weight. That will take care of Dani boys launches.

As much as I love Julian Ryder and Toby Moody, every time they act shocked that Pedrobot gets a great start I just want to go all punchy. You'd think that after five seasons of that halfpint pissant completely defeating the entire purpose of qualifying they'd institute some weight equality. What I can't figure out is how he hasn't learned to brake in five years; he has the same weight advantage but constantly gets taken under braking. If he ever develops that talent he might ruin the series.

Oh, wait. Nevermind. He's Spanish. If they ever field a 110 lb. German they'll institute weight rules the next season.

I was surprised fuel didn't seem to play any part in the race. I was really hoping to see the CRTs running full power the last two or three laps while the prototypes were in Vespa mode running 150 mph down the front straight.