Spain MotoGP

Incase you read this before 8am today ....

April 3 8AM ET MotoGP World ChampionshipSpanish Grand Prix

For those who did not get up early Sunday morning or missed it for other reasons .... here is when Speed is re-broadcasting ...

Apr 5, 2011 2:00PM ET MotoGP World ChampionshipSpanish Grand Prix
Apr 6, 2011 4:00AM ET MotoGP World ChampionshipSpanish Grand Prix

Enjoy the race! :fing02:

The race is on






SENSATION

Something that doesnot happen often, happened....

Yeah, it rained!

















SPOILER




















SPOILER












WTF was he thinking?!

[image: Posted Image]

I thought it was a bit of optimism mixed with desperation...

Last Man Standing.....





[image: Posted Image]

^ Pretty much ^

I'm so angry with Rossi right now, but I'm more angry with the Marshalls. Stoner cut the engine to save the bike and they pissed off on him, and he wasn't able to get the bike re-started.
They did the same thing to Simoncelli - he tried to get going again but the marshalls just took off.

When Rossi tried to apologise in the pits, Stoner said "obviously your ambition was greater than your talent"!!

Them's fightin' words alright.

Testing the coeficient of adhesion at that moment was ill advised...

I was amazed by how many riders had a shot at the podium, and then decided that it was all just too much work and that they'd be better off lying down on the side of the track :blink:

Although looking at the rear tires of Lorenzo and Hayden after the race, I think Bridgestone needs to come up with some better rain options for these guys because their tires were absolutely destroyed. I can only imagine that's why so many people went off who were initially looking really good.

[image: View Post]JTG, on 03 April 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

Although looking at the rear tires of Lorenzo and Hayden after the race, I think Bridgestone needs to come up with some better rain options for these guys because their tires were absolutely destroyed. I can only imagine that's why so many people went off who were initially looking really good.

Stoner was practically the master of his own demise here: He said after the race that he had been backing off to save the tyres for this very reason - the tyres would be shit later in the race and he knew he could stay with the lead group by riding conservatively. But backing off meant Rossi made the pass, and the rest is history. Stoner even made room for Rossi, so it wasn't a dangerous pass per se, but it was too fast and too hard for the conditions.

[image: View Post]JTG, on 03 April 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

I was amazed by how many riders had a shot at the podium, and then decided that it was all just too much work and that they'd be better off lying down on the side of the track :blink:

Although looking at the rear tires of Lorenzo and Hayden after the race, I think Bridgestone needs to come up with some better rain options for these guys because their tires were absolutely destroyed. I can only imagine that's why so many people went off who were initially looking really good.


Yep there was a conga line of Americans all racing at the front and then things just fell apart.

On the tyres, I was wondering whether the track would get dry enough for someone to risk swapping back to their slick-shod bike. Losing 20-30 seconds for the swap would have been worth it if you could then pick up 5-7 seconds per lap on the other guys.

Rossi looked good early, rain is the equalizer. Too impatient though. And perhaps his tires would not have lasted. Crazy how so many washed out the front end.
Stoner's quote ... the tongue is sharper than the knife! Ouch! That one drew blood. :lurk:

:offtopic:
Just my general ... but despite the incredible talent and technology, I find myself far more interested in SBK because there are more manufacturers and better representation of products the consumer can go out and purchase. MGP has become so corporate and costly that there it reminds me of major league baseball.... there is a huge gap between the haves and have nots and there are only a couple of teams that can compete consistently due to capital.

Luckily we can watch both, but I enjoy watching multiple manufacturers and some degree of competitive balance.

P.S. Sure wish Honda would get relevant again (at any level).....

[image: View Post]kaldek, on 03 April 2011 - 03:56 PM, said:

I'm so angry with Rossi right now, but I'm more angry with the Marshalls. Stoner cut the engine to save the bike and they pissed off on him, and he wasn't able to get the bike re-started.
They did the same thing to Simoncelli - he tried to get going again but the marshalls just took off.

When Rossi tried to apologise in the pits, Stoner said "obviously your ambition was greater than your talent"!!

Them's fightin' words alright.

Take a read of Moto Matters for another thought on the "Marshals Situation". Perhaps it's not so cut and dry as it may look on TV?

Quote

The causes of the crash were relatively simple, but the fallout is already complex and likely only to grow over the next weeks until Estoril. It all started with the treatment of the two riders as they were picking themselves up out of the gravel. Both men were helped up, the corner workers first tending to Rossi, to ensure that he was not trapped under his bike. Rossi had whipped in the clutch to keep the engine of the Ducati running, but his leg had got caught under the bike. Once the marshals had extricated him from the tangle, Rossi could get back on his bike and get back underway.

Casey Stoner faced a much more difficult task. The Australian had cut the engine on his RC212V, to avoid any damage from the bike running on its side. But the Honda's fancy gearbox requires two pins to be inserted in the clutch to allow the engine to be started. It is possible to bumpstart the engine without these pins, but it is extremely difficult.

What happened next was revealed in a series of photos captured by Andrew Wheeler, who was standing on the inside of Turn 1 when the crash unfolded in front of him. While Rossi was departing, Casey Stoner was picking his bike up out of the gravel, and 6 marshals gathered round the Australian. Five of them started to push him on his way, and over the next few seconds, the marshals melted away one-by-one. By the time the bike was going fast enough to to try and start, there was only one man left pushing the bike, uphill towards the crest leading to Turn 2.

Without sufficient manpower to give him the speed he needed, and the one corner worker forced to work uphill, struggling against gravity, starting Stoner's bike proved to be impossible, a failure which Stoner took very much to heart. Afterwards, he blamed the marshals for a lack of impartiality, rushing to help Rossi, a rider who needed little assistance, while not helping him, who clearly needed help bump-starting the bike.

Are starters prohibited in MotoGP?

Now that we've sufficiently polluted a non results related thread with multiple spoilers, how about something a little more on topic?
Where online could one find the post race podium press conference? Free, that is... :fing02: (I clearly don't have the MotoGP.com season pass)

[image: View Post]kaldek, on 03 April 2011 - 03:56 PM, said:

I'm so angry with Rossi right now, but I'm more angry with the Marshalls. Stoner cut the engine to save the bike and they pissed off on him, and he wasn't able to get the bike re-started.
They did the same thing to Simoncelli - he tried to get going again but the marshalls just took off.



As explained above, push starting slipper clutches ain't no picnic (I'm sure marshals tried it before) doing it on the side of the track with bikes zooming by at full speed (and crashing!) makes it even more unpleasant.
I volunteered as a corner marshal during my short racing career so I can say "been there!"

[image: View Post]kaldek, on 03 April 2011 - 03:56 PM, said:

When Rossi tried to apologise in the pits, Stoner said "obviously your ambition was greater than your talent"!!

Them's fightin' words alright.


I think it was a dumb and desperate move from Rossi and it cost Stoner a championship lead, possibly a title, but of all people Casey should have some sympathy for anyone riding his old bike and loosing front end.

[image: View Post]KPerham, on 04 April 2011 - 07:38 AM, said:

Are starters prohibited in MotoGP?


Pretty sure they all run lossless systems. No battery. Probably not the easiest to get to the terminal to start the bike either, so having the marshalls carry a battery isn't really a solution either.

I'm sure the fact that it was wet out didn't help the bump start process either.

[image: View Post]Dmitry, on 04 April 2011 - 08:00 AM, said:

.....but of all people Casey should have some sympathy for anyone riding his old bike and loosing front end.

Yep. How many times did we see Stoner lose the front end on that Duc with no help from anyone else? Qatar '10 anyone? Not saying Rossi isn't at fault, but there's definitely some irony here.

Mike

MELVIS WHERE ARE YOU????




:laughing6-hehe:

[image: View Post]kaldek, on 03 April 2011 - 03:56 PM, said:

When Rossi tried to apologise in the pits, Stoner said "obviously your ambition was greater than your talent"!!

Them's fightin' words alright.

And it wasn't only verbal:

[image: Posted Image] [image: Posted Image]

[image: View Post]KPerham, on 04 April 2011 - 07:38 AM, said:

Moto Matters


Thx for the link, well written.... Put that in my fav's under my Speed fav.

So what happened to Edwards? The broadcast showed his front wheel in the gravel and when they were trying to pull it out it looked like the front wheel was locked up. Didn't look like he crashed?

If he didn't have bad luck he wouldn't have any luck at all..

edit:

"Colin Edwards DNF

"That's pretty tough to take because getting a podium in MotoGP is not something you get chance to get every week. The race was unbelievable because it was all about who could keep it on two wheels the longest. I was quite a way back at one stage but just didn't want to do anything stupid and crash and I just felt more and more confident to push. Nicky came back to me really quickly and I knew I'd have no problem passing him because he was in trouble with his tyres. I didn't have a lot more grip but I pulled away from him and the podium was right in front of me. The bike didn't feel great coming out of the last corner to start the last lap and by the time I got to the first corner it just stopped. Obviously I'm disappointed but I can't change what happened. I wanted that podium for my guys at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 because they are awesome. But we move on and try to bounce back at Estoril."

No matter what happens on and off the track, I'd enjoy watching it more if Speed would can Greg Cramer and his over-dub and just let Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett call all the shots... :mad:

[image: View Post]ddr, on 04 April 2011 - 09:11 PM, said:

No matter what happens on and off the track, I'd enjoy watching it more if Speed would can Greg Cramer and his over-dub and just let Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett call all the shots... :mad:


+100

Which would make time to bring back the post race interviews....

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 04 April 2011 - 09:23 PM, said:

[image: View Post]ddr, on 04 April 2011 - 09:11 PM, said:

No matter what happens on and off the track, I'd enjoy watching it more if Speed would can Greg Cramer and his over-dub and just let Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett call all the shots... :mad:


+100

Which would make time to bring back the post race interviews....

Posted Image
He doesn't add any value--just costs Speed some money.

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 04 April 2011 - 09:23 PM, said:

[image: View Post]ddr, on 04 April 2011 - 09:11 PM, said:

No matter what happens on and off the track, I'd enjoy watching it more if Speed would can Greg Cramer and his over-dub and just let Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett call all the shots... :mad:


+100

Which would make time to bring back the post race interviews....

I thought he was there to translate everything into American?

[image: View Post]HispanicSlammer, on 05 April 2011 - 01:58 AM, said:

[image: View Post]vfrcapn, on 04 April 2011 - 09:23 PM, said:

[image: View Post]ddr, on 04 April 2011 - 09:11 PM, said:

No matter what happens on and off the track, I'd enjoy watching it more if Speed would can Greg Cramer and his over-dub and just let Nick Harris and Gavin Emmett call all the shots... :mad:


+100

Which would make time to bring back the post race interviews....

I thought he was there to translate everything into American?

Is that like saying, "Bumb it down"? :laughing6-hehe:

AFAIK, Edwards engine seized.

I'm a little surprised at all the hindsight warriors blaming Rossi for an unmakeable pass. It's only cos you saw him crash you can say that. He didn't know he was going to. If he'd actually made the pass, you'd all have been praising him for his skill. Stoner even moved out of his way. It was a racing incident. Show me any rider who hasn't lost a front end in the wet. All it shows is that Rossi is human.

Huge commiserations to Cal Crutchlow; only 20 wet minutes on a Moto GP bike in only his 2nd race and he succumbs to the conditions when only 2 seconds short of overtaking eventual third-place Hayden. And on a satellite bike to boot! And he set the seventh fatest lap time of the race. Ooh, this season just got tastier.

[image: View Post]YoshiHNS, on 04 April 2011 - 10:07 AM, said:

[image: View Post]KPerham, on 04 April 2011 - 07:38 AM, said:

Are starters prohibited in MotoGP?


Pretty sure they all run lossless systems. No battery. Probably not the easiest to get to the terminal to start the bike either, so having the marshalls carry a battery isn't really a solution either.

I'm sure the fact that it was wet out didn't help the bump start process either.



There is no starter on any GP bike due to weight savings, they use rollers in the pits, there is a battery however, you need lots of juice to run electronics on those bikes. Ever seen one up close? Has more wires than a space shuttle!

Problem with bump starting those bikes are slipper clutches, they all have them and it takes some trickery (2 pins in the case of Honda) to get them bumped


One thing I want to add to this thread is something that went unnoticed because it didn't happen like it did before ...
Last year and year before almost every time Ducati went down (and it went down bunch of times) it was down and out, both Nicky and Casey complained about how fragile the controls were and it seems that was one of the things they improved so Vale was able to continue even after going down with Honda taking a ride on top of it. 5th place points in trade for few ounces of weight seems like a winning move.