BBC coverage

Eurosport is just better. Full stop. But then again the BBC is showing bikes to the mainstream masses (if they tune in that is)…..

Ben’s Pies/ Peas is fastest in first practice, he likes Assen dosen’t he 😀 , Cal second fastest. Let’s see what the weekend brings. Pies/Peas to win again (at Assen i mean)?
Hmmmmmmm, i’m not convinced yet….

Minor Rule Changes announced at Assen today.

Nothing too outrageous. The Rookie rule has now been officially abolished- that means Marc Marquez can now ride Casey Stoners bike next year 💡
Spaniards in charge of Moto GP or is it just Honda?

Have you just seen the Moto3 race from Assen?

Amazing!! Some of the best racing I have seen for a longtime. Danny Kent battling the big names.

Watch the replay if you can.

Moto 3 is just bonkers isnt it that race today was crazy it took 15 mins to work out the podiu.

Oh dear

Moto 3 race was a cracker,best race in a long time,the “teamates” reminded me of Pedrosa & Hayden at Estoril! Moto 2 entertaining as always. Moto GP boring & processional as usual.
They also got a dry race day,which is a bonus..

Moto 3 was AWESOME….Danny should take Sandro out the back of the garage and give him a proper shoeing though.

Race Direction has punished Bautista with a back of the grid start at next weekends GP

Agree Moto2 and 3 are where the excitement is now, Moto GP is boring. Get Rossi onto something competitive and lets have some edge of the seat racing again

There was talk of MotoGP becoming prototype frames with Honda engines a la Moto2. Would mean much closer racing.

There was talk of MotoGP becoming prototype frames with Honda engines a la Moto2. Would mean much closer racing.

Can’t see Yamaha and Ducati being too interested in that

Just watched the Moto 3 race – OMG, that was fantastic 🙂
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01ks8gc/MotoGP_2012_Assen_Moto2_and_Moto3/

Casey has just worked out no one likes him…

“[The fall is] disappointing for sure, but for me the most disappointing thing about it was the marshals,” he said.

“I’ve seen them pick up loads of different riders and get going and there was nothing wrong with my bike, but there was no way they were going to help me.

“Yet again, German marshals have kept me from getting a decent result.”

Stoner whinge whinge whinge bleat moan 😆 didnt see the race I am on my hols but did read crashnet story about him whinging.

Replays of the crash seem to show the clutch lever being torn off. I know it’s possible to ride a bike without a clutch, but he’d never have been quick to get that bike up, running and to the finish line. I think it’s perfectly arguable that if the same had happened to Rossi for example, help would have been rapid. Classic bit of moany Stonerism on Crash.net! I’ll miss his spectacular riding, but not his personality 😆

No suprise but announced today Repsol Honda have kept Pedrosa and signed Marquez until 2014.

Spies to get dumped Dovi moves up ? Cal to Ducati ?

Cal to Ducati ?

Hope not, he’s fine with Poncheral (or how ever you spell it), the guy loves a ‘trier’ – and Cal is a ‘trier’.

Cal won’t be moving away from Yamaha. They seem to think very highly of him and he’s paying back their faith in him this season.

I can’t see how the Pedrobot keeps his ride at Repsol, he won’t be winning the championship this year or any other as far as i can see.

Spies will stay with the factory Yamaha (not that I think he deserves it on this seasons form) and as Bradley Smith is supposedly signed to ride MotoGP with Tech3, I think Cal will have to go to Ducati and be Rossi’s team mate.

Spies will stay with the factory Yamaha (not that I think he deserves it on this seasons form) and as Bradley Smith is supposedly signed to ride MotoGP with Tech3, I think Cal will have to go to Ducati and be Rossi’s team mate.

Cal and Vale at Ducati is pretty much a dead cert according to MCN this week. Cal’s brave, I’ll give him that!!

Cal is good friends with Stoner.Casey knows how to make the ducati work and would love to see Vale embarrased by his team mate.Maybe he’ll spill the beans to Cal? :0)

Oh I do hope so! 🙂

Have just come back from holidays- with no internet connection for two weeks 🙁
Anyway, being in the back of beyond in Norfolk among the fishes (caught some nice Pike) was a lovely way to spend a fortnight 😉

No telly either so i missed all the racing- but now im up to speed having caught up on I Player/ You Tube etc…

Looks like business as usual in GP- Lorenzo was unlucky getting skittled by Bautista, but Stoner falling off on his own ❓ guess that’s karma for you 😆

World Superbikes was good- Marco Melandri is going well at the mo, hope he can catch Biaggi as the Emperor is miles in front.

would love to see Vale embarrased by his team mate

Isn’t that already happening this season? Rossi may be ahead in the championship but Hayden regularly shows him up in qualifying and often in the race….

Maybe the 46 will get his mojo back soon. Pray for rain every race 😆

Rossi happy to struggle on with Ducati as futher down the line Audi could give him the option into 4 wheel motorsport of some description. ❓

I’m not sure on that. I believe Rossi will be on another bike next season in a private team who he can bring his own sponsors to. Yamaha may be his best bet as he knows them inside out but will be get any “factory bits” for it as without them he will struggle. If he goes for a customer Honda he’s got learn all about it and get it dialled in plus Honda customer bikes are a long way off their factory bikes.
Rossi fans didn’t want him go to Ducati and vice versa, Ducati fans didn’t want Rossi as the Italian press tells that story. I’d be very surprised if Rossi stays but you never know, maybe him and Cal working together.
Audi will benefit from the tie in with Ducati as they will take some Ducati technology regarding the Desmo design onto their cars – mark my words.

It’s all official then…..

Honda changing the rules???

Who’d have thought it 😆

Honda changing the rules???

Well, it was a stupid rule to start with – almost like the US and their college stars into the main game rules (sorry forget the right phrase).

Ben Spies has announced that he will be leaving the Factory Yamaha MotoGP team at the end of this season.

The Texan, who won his first MotoGP race last year, has endured a torrid first half of 2012 and sits just tenth in the world championship with a best finish of fourth. Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo leads the standings with five wins and three second places from the opening nine rounds.

But Spies looked to have a strong chance of remaining alongside Lorenzo next season – until he made a surprise announcement, in the run-up to his home US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca this weekend, via an email to SuperbikePlanet.com:

“I have chosen to leave Yamaha after this season for a litany of reasons. I will explain more when I feel it is appropriate. I’m discussing my situation with my sponsors and they are behind me. There are a few people at Yamaha who I hate to leave. And they know who they are. I wish Yamaha the best. I won’t make any further comments until the offical announcement comes out.”

So does this mean Dovi to the factory team leaving Smith to take his place.

Spies where does he go?

So does this mean Dovi to the factory team leaving Smith to take his place.

Well, rumour has it that Rossi is staying at Ducati but this has slowed Cruchlow signing for them. I’m still wondering if he might just nick the Yamaha ride even though Dovi has had better results. He’ll be cheaper, see, and Lorenzo will have a fairly hefty pay packet

According to http://www.crash.net/

Spies remaining tight lipped and Rossi says money is not his main concern next year and he will decide during the break after Laguna. I still think its a choice between getting back on something that works for him or staying put for a while and then using the Audi connection to get into 4 wheel motorsport.

Can’t see Rossi going to 4 wheel motorsport. Not just yet and if he ever does it will be to Rallying. Audi could get back into rallying- id love to see a new Audi Quattro!
I can actually see him starting his own team using a factory bike of some sort, as has already been said he will need factory parts for this to be worthwhile….

Nicky just signed for another year with Ducati

Aye so that is Cal out of the running for Ducati. Tech 3 a British squad with Cal and Smith.

Intrigued what Spies is going to do, if the diesels can poach Melandri who IMO is class then could he be going back?

Intrigued what Spies is going to do, if the diesels can poach Melandri who IMO is class then could he be going back?

Mate, they all ride diesels these days.

Spies will probably go back to AMA though.

But some are very quick diesels 🙂

I was wondering about AMA as well but never heard him say he was sick of Europe.

New Yamaha video out…
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmFaXR4vqBk[/video]

Note the 2009 Vale Yamaha poster on wall @ 2.50 😉

Stoner whinge bleat moan “I couldnt get a clear lap the CRT’s were in the way wah wah wah wah” 😉

Jorge for the win in LS, wish the 2 and 3 boys were there, the thought of the 2 boys going through the corkscrew 😯

Fair play Cry Baby Stoner did the job there. Credit where credit is due. Such an amazing track.

Wonder If There’s Any Truth To This? -it’s in MCN, wonder if it’s just rumours? 😉

I think he is going to leave Ducati and I think Yamaha in way or another is going to be where he ends up. Cal to Ducati ??? Honda may struggle next year, Dani and Marquez not the most stable of team mates 😆