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Hayden is just healthy now, but still complaining about the front end. He's my favorite rider but trust me he isn't just magically faster than Rossi and we all know neither of the two can ride that bike like Casey did. Things will return to normal by the end of this test and the two of them will have similar times again with Rossi probably edging him out. Hayden was riding today to get time on the bike while Rossi was still chasing a solution to the unbalanced bike and testing a few new parts. They don't need an I4 they just need to be able to get weight on that front tire to make it work. The bike is already at it's adjustability limits again as you can see from the picture. Rossi saying Nicky is now the reference point has more to do with being demoralized/frustrated than Nicky really being the reference point.
watch the video- the bike just can't hold a line, good footage of your boy too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGIjetX6TBk&feature=player_embedded
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Nice vid. The bit between 0:17 and 0:22 is great, I think it really beautifully reflects the difference between Lorenzo and Stoner. One always smooth and on the edge of grip, the other loose and just beyond that edge. Reminds of why I became such a fanboy for Stoner in the first place. If tire degradetion will be a factor this year, it forebodes well for Lorenzo's opportunities.
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Just watched the rider interviews from yesterday
Yam appears to be the happiest camp at the mo, closely followed by their Tech3 counterparts.
Nicky seemed a little more upbeat though at ducati, while Rossi seems lost.
Hoping the yam can take at least a few races to the honda this season, they do seem a bit closer than last year.
And someone anyone can find the cure for that poorly duc.
Yam appears to be the happiest camp at the mo, closely followed by their Tech3 counterparts.
Nicky seemed a little more upbeat though at ducati, while Rossi seems lost.
Hoping the yam can take at least a few races to the honda this season, they do seem a bit closer than last year.
And someone anyone can find the cure for that poorly duc.
It could well be Valentino himself... It is a fact that he has never been the same after 2010. He has always been a favorite rider of mine and I have always given him a lot of credit, that I think he fully deserved, but now one can't help seeing that Nicky is way ahead of him and De Puniet is on his heels on a Superbike machine. And he's still speaking about his position on the bike... Nah, it doesn't look promising.
Vale has earned himself a place among the greats of this sport, but if -- as it seems -- the sacred fire is not burning in him any more, it is much better that he keeps his mouth shut rather than complaining, uses this year to help Ducati make the new bike competitive, and then call it a day and leave the Desmosedici to some young and hungry rider... Really.
I disagree, I think he would definitely be instantly competitive on a factory yamaha, and probably so on a honda, although he might have to change the current honda a little to suit his preferences.
I think it is a combination of what you said last year and what barry says, ie he is not prepared to risk life and limb to finish 5th or 6th rather than 7th or 8th, and that the ducati is unlike any other bike he has ridden and is antithetical to his riding style. I think the only way for that bike to get through corners quickly enough to be competitive with the length of the engine is to set it up for stoner's method, rear wheel steering, sliding, near high siding etc. It is never going to be a mass centralised corner speed bike.
That said, he lasted at the top longer than almost anyone including mick doohan as mick himself said last year, and keeping your motivation going after so long at the top is hard, and doubly hard given the current talent approaching a decade younger and hungrier. Most who have had success at valentino's current age first found success later than valentino did.
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I surely hope you are right, but I have a different feeling. He has been saying too many different (and contradictory) things on the reasons he can't be fast. He's beginning to sounbd like -- I hate to say it -- Biaggi. It is never easy for great champions to acknowledge they are not that fast any more... The crash at Mugello was a turning point. Add to this the problems riding the Ducati and then Simoncelli's death: that has had a serious psychological impact on Rossi. I think he's now riding safe, well within his comfort zone and inside that safe zone he is (now, at 33) a good professional rider but not much more. Not the Valentino we used to know.
I do not think a narrow-V Ducati would solve that: and anyway, that single change is more expensive and requires more work than all the other changes they have made so far, so it will not be forthcoming.
I'll be happy to be proven wrong of course.
I surely hope you are right, but I have a different feeling. He has been saying too many different (and contradictory) things on the reasons he can't be fast. He's beginning to sounbd like -- I hate to say it -- Biaggi. It is never easy for great champions to acknowledge they are not that fast any more... The crash at Mugello was a turning point. Add to this the problems riding the Ducati and then Simoncelli's death: that has had a serious psychological impact on Rossi. I think he's now riding safe, well within his comfort zone and inside that safe zone he is (now, at 33) a good professional rider but not much more. Not the Valentino we used to know.
I do not think a narrow-V Ducati would solve that: and anyway, that single change is more expensive and requires more work than all the other changes they have made so far, so it will not be forthcoming.
I'll be happy to be proven wrong of course.
Sure, I don't think they have the engineering resources to come up with a narrower angle V4 in short order either. I don't understand much about such things, but re-designing engines seems to be a major undertaking even for much bigger concerns; witness the length of time that old buick V8 car engine survived in various forms, becoming a long term range rover engine, with a detour to being the basis of the repco V8 F1 engine etc. Simoncelli's death might well have taken what remaining joy he had in racing as well as you say.
If they do make it all CRT (not my idea of the premier formula), it might be interesting to see him on an aprilia again though.
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J4rno, i agree with Mike that Rossi would be instantly competitive on a Honda/Yam (though i also believe the same for Nicky). Though this might be comforting at some irrelevant level, the reality is they will be competing on the GP12. The only good news for the team is that they can make adjustments without having to burn engines to do it (as the previous rules essentially prohibited). I think Rossi is suffering from the same human element that Melandri was subjected to, that is, a bit of self doubt. If Rossi wants to save himself, he'll honor his contract, then swallow a bit if pride and convince the powers to let him on a factory Honda/Yam to finish out his career. (Nicky, being as fast as Rossi, does not have this luxury, my recommendation for him is to convince Duc to ride their next Superbike entry in Wsbk.)
Lil Red, yes, Cal def looks happy. Even though fuel is massively restricted, there still is enough power to allow him to capitalize on his style. Plus with one important learning year under his belt, i expect good things from him this year.
Lex, good point about fuel limit vs the CRTs and how it relates to MA. At some point, peeps like Pov started to believe that "prototypes" proceed rules, but is the other way around. Just look at Duc, two major rules eliminated their viability as truer "prototypes" 1. Control tire, 2. Engine limits. How Pov and a couple others (who claim theyre love for prototype while in the same breath blaming Duc while not placing blame on arbitrary rules, is beyond me.) Now Dorna is kicking around idea of single bike, limiting techs, etc. May just another conspiracy to slow down Casey, eh?
Lil Red, yes, Cal def looks happy. Even though fuel is massively restricted, there still is enough power to allow him to capitalize on his style. Plus with one important learning year under his belt, i expect good things from him this year.
Lex, good point about fuel limit vs the CRTs and how it relates to MA. At some point, peeps like Pov started to believe that "prototypes" proceed rules, but is the other way around. Just look at Duc, two major rules eliminated their viability as truer "prototypes" 1. Control tire, 2. Engine limits. How Pov and a couple others (who claim theyre love for prototype while in the same breath blaming Duc while not placing blame on arbitrary rules, is beyond me.) Now Dorna is kicking around idea of single bike, limiting techs, etc. May just another conspiracy to slow down Casey, eh?
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Bikes have extra 200cc and more torque - just the baby back ribs, please!
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J4rno, i agree with Mike that Rossi would be instantly competitive on a Honda/Yam (though i also believe the same for Nicky). Though this might be comforting at some irrelevant level, the reality is they will be competing on the GP12. The only good news for the team is that they can make adjustments without having to burn engines to do it (as the previous rules essentially prohibited). I think Rossi is suffering from the same human element that Melandri was subjected to, that is, a bit of self doubt. If Rossi wants to save himself, he'll honor his contract, then swallow a bit if pride and convince the powers to let him on a factory Honda/Yam to finish out his career. (Nicky, being as fast as Rossi, does not have this luxury, my recommendation for him is to convince Duc to ride their next Superbike entry in Wsbk.)
Lil Red, yes, Cal def looks happy. Even though fuel is massively restricted, there still is enough power to allow him to capitalize on his style. Plus with one important learning year under his belt, i expect good things from him this year.
Lex, good point about fuel limit vs the CRTs and how it relates to MA. At some point, peeps like Pov started to believe that "prototypes" proceed rules, but is the other way around. Just look at Duc, two major rules eliminated their viability as truer "prototypes" 1. Control tire, 2. Engine limits. How Pov and a couple others (who claim theyre love for prototype while in the same breath blaming Duc while not placing blame on arbitrary rules, is beyond me.) Now Dorna is kicking around idea of single bike, limiting techs, etc. May just another conspiracy to slow down Casey, eh?
If you want to talk arbitrary rules, just look at CRT. The rules are whatever we say they are. The only thing missing in this DMG wannabe circus, is Al Ludington screaming at Johnny Rock Page, YOU ...... UP THE SHOW. The rules for 2011 were hard set . I dislike the engine and tire rules as much as anyone, but Ducati knew them , and chose to redesign their bike mid year. Thats on them.
So it's looking like a four bike show this year at the pointy end. It would be nice to have the Ducs up there but hey, what can you do?
It also sounds like (from Krop on motomatters) that Cal would be doing even better than he is now, which is pretty impressive as is, if he was getting the electronic updates same as the factory Yams. I can understand the factory not doling out new swingarms etc. to the sattilights right away but why not just let them borrow the flashdrive for 5 minutes? Seems like a cheap and easy way to have more bikes that say Yamaha on them up front.
It also sounds like (from Krop on motomatters) that Cal would be doing even better than he is now, which is pretty impressive as is, if he was getting the electronic updates same as the factory Yams. I can understand the factory not doling out new swingarms etc. to the sattilights right away but why not just let them borrow the flashdrive for 5 minutes? Seems like a cheap and easy way to have more bikes that say Yamaha on them up front.
I surely hope you are right, but I have a different feeling. He has been saying too many different (and contradictory) things on the reasons he can't be fast. He's beginning to sounbd like -- I hate to say it -- Biaggi. It is never easy for great champions to acknowledge they are not that fast any more... The crash at Mugello was a turning point. Add to this the problems riding the Ducati and then Simoncelli's death: that has had a serious psychological impact on Rossi. I think he's now riding safe, well within his comfort zone and inside that safe zone he is (now, at 33) a good professional rider but not much more. Not the Valentino we used to know.
I do not think a narrow-V Ducati would solve that: and anyway, that single change is more expensive and requires more work than all the other changes they have made so far, so it will not be forthcoming.
I'll be happy to be proven wrong of course.
I completely agree. Also I don't believe Rossi could be competitive either in Honda nor Yamaha anymore. In 2010 well after his accident he was struggling to keep a pace less than 0.5 sec with the front runners, most of the time he was ~0.9 sec off the pace. You're all free to research at motogp.com.
I think Hayden will do well this season. Also, expect Ducati bring a narrower V engine in May. I suspect they are working on it since last year.
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