Anyone catch the China Moto GP, what a facility and a great race. Stop here if you haven't seen it!
Americans Lead most of the first half with C. Edwards and Suzuki mounted Hopkins looking good. Good finish for the Suky. Handen is getting very consistent finishes in the podium positions and now has like a 13 point Lead in the Championship! I'm sure he wants to win more races, but may be looking harder at the Championship than wins. Always being at or around will lead to a win or two most likely. Padrosa looks awesome and Nicky did close some near the end, but was smart enough to be happy with the 2nd place points and not risk a crash trying to win the race.
Edwards was funny in the post race interview, saying something like " I was just trying to smell the speed of the two Rep. Honda boys as they went by!" 4 races, 4 different winners! Great stuff. Rossi is sure having a ruff year! blink.gif
Incredible race! fing02.gif I was glad to see Nicky and Colin on the podium. That was Colin's first podium since Laguna Seca last year. It was neat to watch Nicky set the fastest lap, and then Pedrosa would pull out a fast one...they must've swapped fastest laps two or three times, with Pedrosa ending up with the fastest lap of the race.
That track has some crazy tight turns...but apparently the riders don't really like it. It was set up primarily as an F1 track so it has very little 'flow' to it.
baileyrock, May 15 2006, 12:20 PMEdwards was funny in the post race interview, saying something like " I was just trying to smell the speed of the two Rep. Honda boys as they went by!"
Yeah, that was hilarious! He wanted a whiff of that draft.
Good race too. There was real live on track racing! I love F1 but miss the "on track" racing. No lack of that in Moto GP thank goodness!
I wish Nicky had qualified on the front row and had a good start instead of having to work his way up from 9th or 10th. He might have been able to beat Pedrosa...but that's only speculation. Both Nicky and Dani carved through those riders like they were on crippled bikes, even Colin and Hopkins once they caught them.
Nicky and Dani's lap times were within hundredths of a second of each other the whole race, and their fastest laps were near the end with roasted tires, just like Rossi when he's on his game. This is probably the best season since Lawson, Rainey, Schwantz, Gardner, and Doohan were all healthy and riding the hell out of the 500cc two stroke beasts!
That Pedrosa is no joke!!! Kid can ride. I root for Nicky in every race since he is from my hometown.
You have to believe that Pedros has some slight advantage being that he is so small. I think he weighs around 135-140 pounds and that has to make some difference when powering out of the turns.
When he stopped after the warm up lap it looked like he could not put both feet on the ground at the same time. Anyone else notice this???
We have a little office debate about Rossi not in the hunt at this point for the points, my buddy Dan says that he is backing off his normal racing insticts to save himself for F1 next year, I on the other hand dont beleive that and just think his is having bike issues (certainly not the rider) I mean maybe he is taking it easy this season, he has nothing to prove, or maybe he is sleeping a bit till he find himself in a do it or die situation that he seems to crave, then he will turn up the burners? I dont know what do you think.
I mean for 7 years there hasn't been a motorcycle racer who could touch him, they all were able to stay with him for a race or two but in the end could not stand his pace for more than a few races, only to get burned by the heat he creates and eventually burn themselves out after a few times trying to stay with the guy. Seems he just intimidates those who pass him by hounding them for the mid laps till they make a mistake he pounces on, or he just checks out early and nobody gets close.
I think its bike issues, Yamaha did not get the bike up to snuff in the off season and is having develpment problems, Dan says Rossi is trying not to get hurt so he can race F1 next year?
I think Nicky would have won the race if he was out front. It was a good race but the china track doesn't seem to have alot of good places to pass. I don't see things getting much better for any of the GP bikes this season. It's surprising that Rossi isn't doing well. I would think that they would not have changed the bike to much from last years. I would instead think most R&D is gearing up for next years bike. I think that Honda was doing good with there bikes and making a lot of progress last year but it didn't stand out so much with Hayden winning and Dipshit biaggi losing all the time. Good season this year... Best in a long time...
Rossi was moving up quite well yesterday before his Yamaha went FUBAR.
If you saw the race or have a MotoGP.com subscription, they have a video clip showing what happened.
He had about a 4"x"2"x1/2" section of his front tire separate.. I've never seen anything like it.
It sounds like Yamaha really IS having issues this year, they talk about chatter every race and their bike seems to be destroying tires, at the same time Rossi says as the tires wear and the bike has less grip he can become more and more competitive, it probably is part of the reason he is qualifying poorly.
Buy yah maybe he is dogging it just waiting for F1 next year? Kind of hard to believe though.
Sticky Nicky is getting much better at conserving tires and keeping the bike on track. Pedrosa looked like a world beater. Aside from a little off-roading Stoner had a great run too.
I find it interesting that Rossi is having more bike issues with the Yammi than Edwards is. Although they are just 5 points apart in the Championship, Edwards seems to be running better than last year.
I was really impressed to see Nicky really turn up the heat lap after lap as the race went on. I haven't been that sure he was capable of it over the last year. He just seems to be cursed (if 8 straight podiums can be considered a curse) to follow the leader. We need to get him one of those little rabbits they use for greyhound dog races. Put a motorcycle helmet on it and let him chase it around the track. wheel.gif He'll rack up the wins!
johnmark101, May 15 2006, 01:43 PMThat Pedrosa is no joke!!! Kid can ride. I root for Nicky in every race since he is from my hometown.
You have to believe that Pedros has some slight advantage being that he is so small. I think he weighs around 135-140 pounds and that has to make some difference when powering out of the turns.
When he stopped after the warm up lap it looked like he could not put both feet on the ground at the same time. Anyone else notice this???
I cought that, looked like he had to hang off the right side just to get one foot on the ground. Once he's moving, for get about it! blink.gif 4th race he's got his first Win and from Pole!!!!!!! ohmy.gif
I don't think Rossi is distracting himself with thoughts of F1. I'm reading his book right now and he seems to me to be an incredibly clear thinker. He wouldn't jeopardize this season for next - no matter what he's racing.
The simple fact is that the Yam's are suffering from chatter, just like the Honda's were last year. Actually, it would seem as though everyone, except for the Repsol bikes, is suffering, evidenced by the fact that 3rd place (Edwards/Yam/Mich) was over 14 secs in arrears. Rossi road the crap out of the front and destroyed it. That's all.
I've been reading lots of forums talking about the demise of Rossi. I'm a Hayden fan (I'm a racing fan, first), but I don't think Rossi is even close to out of it. Last year I think he took the title with 147 point to SPARE, with 11 wins. The season is still completely up in the air. Rossi will be back at the front. We haven't seen anyone dominating that you could make an argument for other than Hayden with 8 straight podiums.
And of course, all of this is leading to one hell of an exciting season.
And, about Pedrosa, he's almost 50 pounds (!) lighter than Hayden. That could easily account for the margin of victory. Just my opinion.
Rossi rode his Yamaha into the Chatter zone and destroyed his front tire, where Edwards said if he stayed above 2:00 min laps his bike wouldn't chatter!
I think Pedrosa'a weight is a fair bit less than 135-140.....I can't remember for sure but I think he's 5'2" and in the low 100's weight wise.
Miguel, as far as Rossi "saving himself for F1"....that's rediculous dry.gif I can't believe your work mate could even think that.........give me a break.
According to their profiles at Motogp.com Pedrosa weighs in at 51kg which is ~112lbs while Nicky is 69kg which is ~152lbs and just out of curiosity Rossi is 67kg which is ~148lbs.
rjstaaf, May 15 2006, 03:13 PMAccording to their profiles at Motogp.com Pedrosa weighs in at 51kg which is ~112lbs while Nicky is 69kg which is ~152lbs and just out of curiosity Rossi is 67kg which is ~148lbs.
That's equivalent to approx. a 5.7 hp advantage Pedrosa has over Nicky!
Maybe Colin is riding on older gear and Rossi is tasked with figuring out the newest improvements to the bike? That track looks really cool and it was a incredible race!
Das Bone, May 15 2006, 05:07 PMI think Pedrosa'a weight is a fair bit less than 135-140.....I can't remember for sure but I think he's 5'2" and in the low 100's weight wise. Miguel, as far as Rossi "saving himself for F1"....that's rediculous dry.gif I can't believe your work mate could even think that.........give me a break.
I believe Rossi is having problems with his bike and getting it set up for each race. I don't think for one minute that he is not as intent on winning each race as he has been in years past.
anyone who saw the qatar race would know that rossi still wants to win every time out - as much as he ever has. he would have been on the podium in shanghai if the tire didn't give out - he was absolutely tearing through everyone but pedrosa's and hayden's lap times.
fact of the matter is that if rossi was on one of the repsol bikes - he'd be running away with it again... as it stands we've got a very exciting season on our hands - with a lot of really quick riders. both pedrosa and hayden are looking VERY fast - i find pedrosa especially impressive... but they've got a decided advantage being on the repsol honda bikes.
superchode, May 16 2006, 07:13 AManyone who saw the qatar race would know that rossi still wants to win every time out - as much as he ever has. he would have been on the podium in shanghai if the tire didn't give out - he was absolutely tearing through everyone but pedrosa's and hayden's lap times.
fact of the matter is that if rossi was on one of the repsol bikes - he'd be running away with it again... as it stands we've got a very exciting season on our hands - with a lot of really quick riders. both pedrosa and hayden are looking VERY fast - i find pedrosa especially impressive... but they've got a decided advantage being on the repsol honda bikes.
Rossi is an animal, you can tell he's fighting each race with everything he has. If anyone here has been a champion of something you'll know that you'll never just "relax" and let someone take it from you, even if you have won 7.
As for Pedrosa's weight, just because you're small doesn't mean you're faster. I bet it's a bit harder for him to whip the bike around.
Neboor, May 16 2006, 07:10 AMAs for Pedrosa's weight, just because you're small doesn't mean you're faster. I bet it's a bit harder for him to whip the bike around.
Very true......little guys have to hang off more to even get the bike to think about turning goofy.gif
As far as the Repsol bikes being better and Rossi winning if he were on one........He was dominating last year on Yamaha.........naturally one would have expected he'd do the same this year. Again, it just shows how many variables there are in racing and that the winner form last week or last year may not be the same due to all these variables.
The team, the team's state of mind, the rider's state of mind/health/attitude, luck, etc. just to name a few of the possible variables. It's just not as simple as if someone were on a different bike.
If that were the case, you could potentially take just about any of the riders on the GP grid and with the right circumstances(bike,team etc.) and say that they would win.
All I know is that Dani and Nicky were flying! They carved through world class riders like they were sitting still. Dani more or less won the race over Nicky in qualifying. During the race, once they got out in front, their lap times were always within a few thousandths of each other. If Nicky could have gotten on the front row of the grid, the outcome might have been different. If Nicky and Dani had switched places and Dani had to come from 9th or 10th after the start, Nicky would likely have won. They were very evenly matched for that particular race. Next time out, Dani may leave Nicky in the dust, or vice versa...that's the cool thing about this season.
Don't count Rossi out. He may still surprise everybody, even if he has to pull an old bike out of mothballs. I think they said during the race that he is supposed to get a new frame this week. I agree that if he were on the Repsol team this year that he would probably be leading Nicky in the points. His style and Colin's are different, so that could be contributing to Rossi having more chatter problems...that and he's just a faster rider.
I want Nicky to win a few races to go with his other podium finishes and take home the championship. He needs to do it this year because I think Pedrosa will pull off a string of championships over the next few years as long as he stays healthy and stays with the Repsol Honda team. The kid is looking better than anybody since Rossi in his rookie season in the premier class.
Das Bone, May 16 2006, 11:54 AMThe team, the team's state of mind, the rider's state of mind/health/attitude, luck, etc. just to name a few of the possible variables. It's just not as simple as if someone were on a different bike.
If that were the case, you could potentially take just about any of the riders on the GP grid and with the right circumstances(bike,team etc.) and say that they would win.
I wasn't talking about someone on a different bike - I was talking about Rossi on a different bike. And I don't think there's any doubt that the guys on the repsol hondas have an advantage on the rest of the field.
As for Rossi. He got bumped off his bike in the first race, won the second, was the fastest bike on the track in turkey after getting pushed wide off the line and a few laps later running off the track wide - he rode up to 4rth. On sunday he was doing a repeat performance of turkey... absolutely tearing up the pack until tire problems put him out. He's pushing that yamaha like no one else can - and it's fairly obvious how much the bike is resisting it if you watch the footage. If yamaha sorts out the handling then he'll bu up at the front. An alternate, fictional scenario would be to put him on a repsol and see if anyone else can keep up. From the way he's been riding, I don't think anyone else could. Other riders look very fast this year as well - the ones on hondas are doing well, the riders on other manufacturers are struggling to various degrees.... I think Hopkins, for one, looks very fast, but he's on a lame horse.
I'm rambling... and I'm not a Rossi fanatic (I'd really love to see Pedrosa challenge for the title as a rookie), I'm just saying that from what i've seen this year - Rossi is still the fastest rider out there - but he's definately not on the fastest bike. The only thing that can stop Rossi from pulling the championship is the yamaha underneath him not being competitive enough to let his riding ability overcome the difference.
Das Bone, May 16 2006, 03:54 PMVery true......little guys have to hang off more to even get the bike to think about turning goofy.gif
That would be cool except hanging off a bike doesn't turn it. tongue.gif
Arm strength would be his biggest issue. And I am a believer that Dani's small size is a big advantage as long as he has enough strength to wrestle the bike and it seems he does, he is very smooth.
But I really hope Hayden can pull a championship out, to be a great champ right now you MUST win the championship when Rossi is still racing , otherwise you would be known as a champ that couldn't win against Rossi. This is the year for someone to make a move.
End of thread · 30 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 14 Jun 2006