I can't see John Hopkins getting another GP ride ~ even though he's a Suzuki boy through n through ~ there's too much raw talent coming up from GP2. LCR Honda must be reconsidering Bradl's contract - unless he majorly gets his act together soon. And Bautista should be doing better considering the hardware he's got. Spare Hondas on the horizon?
Shh, you're not allowed to say that on here!
😆
Yep Rossi has indeed lost his mojo, he won't quit as he loves racing too much. These new kids are just faster than he is right now and that's it.
What a day for the Brits! Scott Redding is now 24 points in front in the championship- can he keep this lead for the season? Moto 2 champion sounds good, but a race win is awesome for now. Good lad!
Cal must surely win at some point- surely.
I was very impressed with Marquez yet again- he utterly screwed the start up but then rode a great race to recover. Remember that was his first wet race on a GP bike. What a star 8)
We have a little Dani fan, chapeau sir but it must be lonely in your world
😆
He is a bloody good rider, but he will ultimately do something to prevent him winning a championship. I hope i can be proved wrong- he is one of the best riders to have never won a championship IMO (in the last 10 years that is)
I have to say that despite being a big Rossi fan his move back to Yamaha has so far been a bit underwhelming to say the least.
I was expecting a few more closely fought tussles near the front of the pack ala v's Lorenzo a couple of years back or Gibernau a few more years further back. Hopefully he can regain some form but I have a feeling like others above he may be past his best...
He is a bloody good rider, but he will ultimately do something to prevent him winning a championship
Yep, he has already shown his physical frailties in the US GP. I also don't think he has the mental hardness to fight back like Marquez did yesterday. However if he can get good results in the next 2 or 3 races, I think that might give him enough confidence and focus to keep going, if Marquez gets a better points tally over them races I can see him pulling away in the second half of the season.
Also be interesting to see if and where the other manufacturers can get at Honda, IMO more bikes scrapping at the front suits Marquez better than Pedrosa.
Lorenzos lack of speed was a head scratcher too ❓
For Pedrosa to win a championship he needs to clear off at the front and that means he needs his team mate to do him a favour and take himself and Lorenzo out. Which is entirely possible 😆
We haven't yet seen a proper Marquez V Lorenzo dogfight, Jerez was just an introduction 😆
From Crash.net...
Bridgestone has rejected claims that a rear tyre problem was the cause of Jorge Lorenzo's miserable Le Mans performance.Lorenzo spoke of a chronic lack of rear grip, saying ”I don't see anything other than the tyre causing the problem" - a theory Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development manager Shinji Aoki does not agree with.
“It was clear during the race that Jorge had an issue as he couldn't keep the same pace as the leading group. Immediately after the race he had a debrief session with his tyre engineer where he explained his lack of rear grip,” explained Aoki.
“As is always the case in these situations, his engineer thoroughly examined Jorge's race tyres which were found to be in good working condition. In addition, I examined the tyre myself and personally discussed the matter with the Yamaha engineers and we all agreed that Jorge's lack of rear grip was not attributable to his tyre.
“We received many different comments from the riders after the race on the feeling on the track, even though they all used the same specification of wet tyre and endured the same track conditions.
“In these low grip situations, machine set up is critical as the smallest setting change can have a big effect on performance.
[i]Yep Rossi has indeed lost his mojo, he won't quit as he loves racing too much. These new kids are just faster than he is right now and that's it.[/i]
Agree, in fact I think its a lot like Sheene's last few years. He still had the skill and determination, but with a combination of others been better, equipment issues and that '82 accident it just wasn't happening.
Hopefully Vale will retire, still at (almost) the top, rather than go out with injury.
I can see Rossi peddaling a CRT around like Edwards in a couple of years, just because he enjoys it. 😆
I reckon Rossi will be off to World Superbikes after his contract ends at Yamaha.
If the race goes the same way as practice maybe it will be last lap Catalunya 2009 over again. 😀
On the Rossi subject: [url= http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/191848/1/mugello_rossi_without_a_tow_third_row.html ]3rd row at Mugello[/url] - good god, it's looking embarrasing now. This is his favourite track in front of home fans, hope he can pull himself through in the race and at least manage a podium.
Basically if he can't do it here then he's had it 🙄
Not good is it, I'm starting to think it's maybe time to swap bikes with Cal 😉
^^^ Hopefully Mr Yamaha may think the same....
Let's wait and see how Rossi goes in the race before writing him off.
Rossi was never a great qualifier, as Epi says let's see what happens tomorrow.
what a great qualifier, coming down to the last laps after the clock had stopped!
I don't normally watch MotoGP but caught this today and was captivated.
liked the commentary on EuroSport too.
Wohoo! My boy still on top 8) ..its a shame about my other boy marquez though 😕
Oh dear it's not looking good for Rossi is it?
Marquez crashing all on his own- see he is human after all 😆
And Cal Crutchlow in the post race interview: "Yeah i let Dani finish second, no good losing points" 😆 😆 😆
Brilliant bit of history today from Scott Redding- quality!
Redding really is looking like a junior alien.
In fairness to Rossi that was a nerf from Bautista so hardly his fault. Overall a quality day for Redding & Crutchlow. I did laugh at Cal's comment, though Pedrosa couldn't have looked any more miserable if he'd tried.
Biggest pain was watching McPhee and Webb head backwards. Webby must be gutted he's not on the Mahindra this season.
does honda repsol can only afford only one grid/umbrella girl? all the time since eternity how come the mechanic or some crew bloke is the one holding dani umbrella?
a nerf from Bautista so hardly his fault.
No not his fault, but i mean this season so far- looks like he's running out of luck. But i can't help thinking that he's no longer in a class of his own so he's having to ride the wheels off the thing.
It was an interesting comment by one of the Eurosport commentators that Jorge can lean the bike over a ridiculous amount and that Rossi had said that he just cant get that last half a degree of lean angle. Meaning that he's not as fast through the corners as these new boys.
If rossi qualifies on the front row getting tagged in the mid-field melee won't be an issue.
Webby was nerfed off by a dutch bloke to be fair, did well to stay upright.
Bautista got that very wrong didn't he.
Redding very very good.
A mate of a mate says rumour type thing that there are divisions in the Yamaha camp and that the bikes arent the same, budget constraints.
It was an interesting comment by one of the Eurosport commentators that Jorge can lean the bike over a ridiculous amount and that Rossi had said that he just cant get that last half a degree of lean angle. Meaning that he's not as fast through the corners as these new boys.
Not sure how relevant that is, a lot of what Ryder and Moody say is claptrap.
Marquez is in BIKE magazine this month explaining that despite appearances his and Pedrosa's lean angles are the same, its just Marquez's position on the bike that is extreme.
He expands on this by saying that he has had to unlearn the extreme lean angles and corner speed that he learnt on the way to MotoGP and these bikes (the Honda anyway) have to be stopped in the corner, stood up as quickly as possible onto the fat part of the tyre and then fired out the other side....he said his times came down when he realised this as on his first tests he was riding the bike like he'd ridden in Moto2 (extreme lean, high corner speed) and was slower on an overall lap despite being faster through the bends.
does honda repsol can only afford only one grid/umbrella girl? all the time since eternity how come the mechanic or some crew bloke is the one holding dani umbrella?
Good on Dani I say, it's his choice apparently not to have a brolly girl. The whole brolly/prodium girl thing is slightly anachronistic, probably time it was done away with.
And she'd be about a foot taller than him. But yes, tacky and anachronistic too, I'm sure that's it.
Bet JB and the crew are getting frustrated banging their heads against a wall 😉
It is a TT story but at the end there is a linky to a bit about Marquez'z crash and a chart for his airbag suit. Lost control at 209.9mph 😯 impact at 25G 😯 😯
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=27836
Talk about rubbing someones nose in it.... Max Biaggi is to take part in a two-day MotoGP test for Ducati at Mugello later this week. It was rumoured that he would stand in for injured Ben Spies however Ducati has now confirmed that test rider Michele Pirro will stand in for Spies at the forthcoming Catalunya round.
mrblobby - MemberGood on Dani I say, it's his choice apparently not to have a brolly girl. The whole brolly/prodium girl thing is slightly anachronistic, probably time it was done away with.
How long have you been dying to use anachrwhatsitsay?
Troll!!!haha
Wouldn't be a grid without a brolly dollies. Just to equal the balance, Ana Carrasco, the only lady in Moto3 had a male brolly dolly. Cant find link for picture evidence.
Right the GP, what a magnificent days racing, Mugello really is Gods own tarmac!
Great GP race, shame for Vale but shit happens. Bautista loves taking his brain out at times. Mega for Cal Crutchlow.
Storming race by Scotty, that boy is going far. Putting Espagaro jnr into place and blowing his chances of a Factory Yamaha ride(fingers crossed) That's Cal's destiny, as long as he keeps his gob shut and doesn't go after the money. Once he works out how to get off the line he's an alien.
Cal is putting it fantastic performances, but needs to shut his mouth. He nearly talked himself out of this years Tech3 ride he was so sure he deserved a factory ride, and he's doing something similar now.
He's on a one-year contract as it is, Poncheral made a joke about trying to get him to re-sign in parc ferme after his last podium finish, but reality is its not just talent that gets you a ride its money and markets. Hayden is near-guaranteed a Duke seat as the US is their target market (why theyve got Spies on the satellite bike too after saying he was going to walk away from motogp), but if Cal can't sell bikes or products or bring a personal sponsorship package that pays for his ride and subsidises the team (Rossi's Monster package is so big it bought out Lorenzo's personal Rockstar contract and is bankrolling the team) he'll struggle to get a ride.
Fantastic moto2 ride from Redding.
Vale being a tease again and looks like Bradders is in need of a team hug.
Got everything crossed for Rossi this weekend. He needs a win.
Podium will do
everything crossed for Rossi
Aw thanks 😳
I just need a ride 😉
"(Rossi's Monster package is so big it bought out Lorenzo's personal Rockstar contract and is bankrolling the team)"
Wow, is that true?! Madness.
Wow, is that true?! Madness.
Wouldn't surprise me- is that why Cal isn't on a factory machine (yet) ?
Has Cal got enough personality for that kind of following? I'd doubt it myself, seems a good guy but he's no Rossi, I can't see people going mental for him. How many times have we seen Dovi punted on.
True, many riders have dive bombed once they get a factory ride- think Ben Spies- but id still like to see how Cal does on a factory bike 😉
Another fine set of performances from Cal & Scott! 🙂
Pedro looks on it this weekend, will his tyres last at that kinda pace?
Good ride from Cal- hopefully he can chase Dani tomorrow 😀
Hope a few manage to stick to Dani for a bit of racing or it will be an off into the distance borefest of a race.
What's going on with Bradley's hair?
What's going on with Bradley's hair?
Gravelrash 😆
