2013 Predictions

Dr No

3444351362051435

Michael "poor ....... on a PBM" Laverty?

Click to expand...

 


Well, Paul has sold a bunch of turkeys over Christmas and has sprung for a new frame - who knows how that will pan out.


 


The short-armed ...... apparently has been spending up at ART as well, finally giving them the credit-card number in exchange for some much-needed tweaking (not that kind - the drug story was nothing to do with them, ya unnerstan?).


 


If they can iron out the bugs, I think Laverty will be one of those to show how the Marelli stock ECU compares against ART's in-house unit. Of course this will spur ART on to greater things, possibly giving them the push needed to get more ponies out of that donk. They know they are there - they just need to take a few risks on the reliability front.

THIS


 


1. Pedrosa - fastest midget on earth


2. Lorenzo - very consistent, will wisely avoid dogfights with Rossi and Marquez that could induce costly mistakes


3. Rossi - experienced old star will be a bit slower than the younger top riders, but consistent and occasionally brilliant


4. Marquez - wins the first GP but it gets to his head, after which he takes too many risks and crashes too much.


 


OR 


 


1. Marquez - yup he's that good!


2. Rossi - experienced old star will be a bit slower than the younger top riders, but very consistent and often brilliant


3. Lorenzo - will get into dogfights with Valentino and Marc, lose from both, get nervous and make crucial mistakes


4. Pedrosa - will suffer his teammate's absolute brilliance and get depressed, like Capirossi in 2007

New prediction Cal will win the brit gp.

<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;1 Pedrosa
<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;2 Lorenzo
<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;3 Marquez
<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;4 Rossi
<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;5 Bradl
<span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;6 <span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;Crutchlow


 


Pedrosa just need to stay on his bike.

Any of the HRC or Yamaha factory riders could take the title, although you would have to be a keen punter to put money on Marquez.


 


The season will come down to consistency more than anything. With four potential podium-class riders, one is going to be disappointed at every race.


 


The points system means that a place off the podium means so much. They have gotten the points system right, IMO. The gap between third and fourth can mount up pretty damned fast if you are denied that last step. 


 


My prediction? Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi - but am prepared for the mental anguish if Marquez punts the yellow clown back to fourth.


 


Bautista, Bradl and Crutchlow have only bit parts to play and will only get a look in if the top four have an incident. No-one else looks like they are in a position to do anything much, except play tag with the CRT boys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ducati shamed by some well-sorted ART riders this year.

Zootalaws

3446981362459951

Any of the HRC or Yamaha factory riders could take the title, although you would have to be a keen punter to put money on Marquez.


 


The season will come down to consistency more than anything. With four potential podium-class riders, one is going to be disappointed at every race.


 


The points system means that a place off the podium means so much. They have gotten the points system right, IMO. The gap between third and fourth can mount up pretty damned fast if you are denied that last step. 


 


My prediction? Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi - but am prepared for the mental anguish if Marquez punts the yellow clown back to fourth.


 


Bautista, Bradl and Crutchlow have only bit parts to play and will only get a look in if the top four have an incident. No-one else looks like they are in a position to do anything much, except play tag with the CRT boys. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ducati shamed by some well-sorted ART riders this year.

Click to expand...

Marky will be the quickest of the bunch very soon so the clown will be no where near him.bautista and bradl will play no part in the podium this year but even though we have marky on board cal will have more podiums than last year and a win,welcome back zoots.

cal will have... a win


 


 


REALLY? Where? And how? The Honda and Yam factory riders all come down with food poisoning?

Mick D

3449101362747853

cal will have... a win


 


 


REALLY? Where? And how? The Honda and Yam factory riders all come down with food poisoning?

Click to expand...

its written above try reading the page you ....... .....

thedeal

3446831362415761

New prediction Cal will win the brit gp.

Click to expand...

 


 


I hope you're right, I'd love to see that!

whoops, wrong thread

thedeal

3447181362473347

Marky will be the quickest of the bunch very soon so the clown will be no where near him.bautista and bradl will play no part in the podium this year but even though we have marky on board cal will have more podiums than last year and a win,welcome back zoots.

Click to expand...

 


Gidday mate. Good to have a sniff around.


 


But as to Marquez walking away from Rossi, don't discount Vale's ability to do some damned annoying things on a bike - like stick it up the inside just to break your perfect lap - that was his tactic with Lorenzo and Stoner. It didn't work every time, though, but enough that they were wary of him. It also resulted in incidents such as Rossi punting Stoner off the track.


 


The respect Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa had for each other was admirable, but ultimately a bit boring. I don't think Marquez would have bought into that anyway, but I reckon he will still be a little cautious of Rossi.

Zootalaws

3450811362920845

Gidday mate. Good to have a sniff around.


 


But as to Marquez walking away from Rossi, don't discount Vale's ability to do some damned annoying things on a bike - like stick it up the inside just to break your perfect lap - that was his tactic with Lorenzo and Stoner. It didn't work every time, though, but enough that they were wary of him. It also resulted in incidents such as Rossi punting Stoner off the track.


 


The respect Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa had for each other was admirable, but ultimately a bit boring. I don't think Marquez would have bought into that anyway, but I reckon he will still be a little cautious of Rossi.

Click to expand...

I think Rossi has already started on this by his huge praise of MMs ability but hopefully will show him the same respect he showed to everyone in moto2,to be honest his first couple of outings on the Honda have been very impressive and he will only get better so i cant wait.

Zootalaws

3450811362920845

Gidday mate. Good to have a sniff around.


 


But as to Marquez walking away from Rossi, don't discount Vale's ability to do some damned annoying things on a bike - like stick it up the inside just to break your perfect lap - that was his tactic with Lorenzo and Stoner. It didn't work every time, though, but enough that they were wary of him. It also resulted in incidents such as Rossi punting Stoner off the track.


 


The respect Stoner, Lorenzo and Pedrosa had for each other was admirable, but ultimately a bit boring. I don't think Marquez would have bought into that anyway, but I reckon he will still be a little cautious of Rossi.

Click to expand...

 


Difference between Marquez and the three nice boys is that if Rossi sticks it up the inside to try and break Marquez' perfect lap, Marquez will punt Rossi off into the gravel without a second thought. Look at the dodgy moves he put on Luthi and Espargaro in 2012. None of the Stoner-esque hand-waved apologies for passing, Marquez will deliver a kick in the nuts and a swift headbutt. And the racing will be all the better for it.

Kropotkin

3451001362928487

Difference between Marquez and the three nice boys is that if Rossi sticks it up the inside to try and break Marquez' perfect lap, Marquez will punt Rossi off into the gravel without a second thought. Look at the dodgy moves he put on Luthi and Espargaro in 2012. None of the Stoner-esque hand-waved apologies for passing, Marquez will deliver a kick in the nuts and a swift headbutt. And the racing will be all the better for it.

Click to expand...

Well said that man

Kropotkin

3451001362928487



Difference between Marquez and the three nice boys is that if Rossi sticks it up the inside to try and break Marquez' perfect lap, Marquez will punt Rossi off into the gravel without a second thought. Look at the dodgy moves he put on Luthi and Espargaro in 2012. None of the Stoner-esque hand-waved apologies for passing, Marquez will deliver a kick in the nuts and a swift headbutt. And the racing will be all the better for it.

Click to expand...

opcorn: Go on.... Tell me more.


God knows i hope this is part of the 98% right part of ur takes, no ......... Im serious.


Krop, do u watch AMA SX? If not u should. Anyway, there is a rider i totally hate named Barcia, nickname Bam Bam. They call him that cuz in the lower categories he Bams and bashed his way onto wins. The theory was, he was going to bash his way in the big boy class. So far we have just seen him override the bike, a few spectacular screw ups but no regular torpedoes or bar bashing leading to results. RCarmichael commented on the absence of the expected carpet bombing and explained it this way. Basically saying the bigger bike required to be written different enuf that the rider had to adapt, saying the smaller bike could be moved around under the rider allowing him to bar bash in a way the bigger bike did not. This may be applicable to GP. Im hoping its not only in Marcs case, as i really do want to witness what u describe above as it made me salivate reading it, and i'll be honest, possibly a woody). I've resigned myself to the bs parity politics and hijacking of the sport (u know, since ur worried about the reasons why i watch and all) and am always looking for drama story lines to hold my interest (other than my unfettered admiration for the feats of the rider/machine).

Jumkie

3451171362938750

opcorn: Go on.... Tell me more.


God knows i hope this is part of the 98% right part of ur takes, no ......... Im serious.


Krop, do u watch AMA SX? If not u should. Anyway, there is a rider i totally hate named Barcia, nickname Bam Bam. They call him that cuz in the lower categories he Bams and bashed his way onto wins. The theory was, he was going to bash his way in the big boy class. So far we have just seen him override the bike, a few spectacular screw ups but no regular torpedoes or bar bashing leading to results. RCarmichael commented on the absence of the expected carpet bombing and explained it this way. Basically saying the bigger bike required to be written different enuf that the rider had to adapt, saying the smaller bike could be moved around under the rider allowing him to bar bash in a way the bigger bike did not. This may be applicable to GP. Im hoping its not only in Marcs case, as i really do want to witness what u describe above as it made me salivate reading it, and i'll be honest, possibly a woody). I've resigned myself to the bs parity politics and hijacking of the sport (u know, since ur worried about the reasons why i watch and all) and am always looking for drama story lines to hold my interest (other than my unfettered admiration for the feats of the rider/machine).

Click to expand...

 


For some reason, I don't watch SX on TV. Love riding off-road, but watching MX just doesn't do much for me.


 


I think there's a couple of differences, part of which have to do with technique, and part with attitude. In MX, being physical with your opponents is a viable tactic. If it doesn't work and you get bumped off the track, you lose time you can make up by pushing hard. You can never make up that time on a roadrace bike, because the time differentials are just there.


 


Secondly, and more importantly, there's a question of attitude. There are two kinds of physical riders: wrestlers and snipers (or nose tackles and strong safeties, if you prefer a football analogy). A wrestler will come after you and concentrate on running you over. Alex de Angelis is this kind of rider, Simoncelli was the same. Marquez is a sniper, like Rossi was. If he can see the shot, he'll take it, and the target never even knew what hit him.


 


I have joked with Dennis Noyes a few times about this. Noyes keeps saying "I wonder if there's anything wrong with Marquez' eyesight", and I keep telling him "there's nothing wrong with his eyesight, it's just that his opponents are invisible to him. He doesn't care where they are. He is utterly inconsiderate, rather than consciously reckless. This is what makes him exciting, and what will shake up the status quo.

Herr Krop. Can that be the last military/weaponry/bang-bang gun analogy? I cop enough of that rubbish at work. It's lazy. It's trite. It's Mitty-esque and weenie-macho. Your writing is better than that.


Back to topic:


Exciting? Was Simo that exciting? Or is Marc's talent enough to excuse it and convince us to sit back and enjoy the spectacle? I tend to find that those most enthusiastic about fairing clashes haven't experienced it peeling into a scary fast corner. Maybe those guys are a breed apart (actually, no doubt they are) but it's only fun when you don't end up skidding on your head across the gravel...(and have to be at work the next day). Your thoughts?

Dr No

3451351362997237

Herr Krop. Can that be the last military/weaponry/bang-bang gun analogy? I cop enough of that rubbish at work. It's lazy. It's trite. It's Mitty-esque and weenie-macho. Your writing is better than that.


Back to topic:


Exciting? Was Simo that exciting? Or is Marc's talent enough to excuse it and convince us to sit back and enjoy the spectacle? I tend to find that those most enthusiastic about fairing clashes haven't experienced it peeling into a scary fast corner. Maybe those guys are a breed apart (actually, no doubt they are) but it's only fun when you don't end up skidding on your head across the gravel...(and have to be at work the next day). Your thoughts?

Click to expand...

My thoughts for what they are worth,the last thing i want to see is crashing and people getting hurt,what i want to see is MM not intimidated by Rossi as many have been and showing him a clean pair of heels,Rossi's list of dirty tricks is endless and i hope over but i think if he is still fast enough to stay with the top three he will take it to a knew level.was Simmo that exiting? no.

Dr No

3451351362997237

Herr Krop. Can that be the last military/weaponry/bang-bang gun analogy? I cop enough of that rubbish at work. It's lazy. It's trite. It's Mitty-esque and weenie-macho. Your writing is better than that.

Click to expand...

I thought the shooting gun thing was all the rage on PS? All those VERY butch photos of PSers brandishing firearms....

Any of you?


But what interests me is your response to the topic. To make it easier; I will be the first to agree about the exhilaration of close racing - stuffing it up the inside (fnarr), a well executed block pass......., if I had the talent and balls, I'd love to relate tales of derring-do - but Marquez has done some pretty ...... up things (Williarot was unforgivable...I saw that live and watched RW not move afterwards....Loris was my hero until his move on another hero (when he was on a TZ) Harada.)

Those are my cards. Yours?