Brno Practice and Qualifying

Here we go, FP1 is on.
Stoner on top and right now first under 2:00

And then Rossi bettered that a few laps later. Down to 1:59:5. Lot's to do thow:
QR 1:56:1 - Rossi, 2006
TR 1:58:1 - Capirex 2006

Seems like Rossi are up to something. The last three out on lap one were Stoner, Pedrosa and Rossi, in that order.
Stoner were denied his usuall last spot, and then he was denied the top spot on the time chart early in the session. Humm. Wouldn't call it mind games but it seems like Rossi want to prove something.

Looks like the Bridgestones have it.
Michelin boys not looking good at all.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (howard @ Aug 15 2008, 10:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Looks like the Bridgestones have it.
Michelin boys not looking good at all.

Yeah, I did predict it but didn't notice before you said it. Dovi best Michelin rider on 9th right now.
Malandri on 6th entering the last 10 min. Probably years best. Pedrosa 4 sec off the pace and Lorenzo 3.5 off. Sure looks like a black weekend for Michelin.

Edit: Best Michelin on 11, Lorenzo.
Edit2: Looks like stoner solved his problem. Just bettered his best time with almost a sec. 1:57.9

And FP1 ended like this:

Looks like a 2 horse race again. Weather may play it's part but Michelin look stuffed.
Thank god we are racing after a 3 week break

1 Rossi 1:57.782
2 Stoner 1:57.911
3 Nakano 1:59.021
.
.
15 Toseland 2:01.074

Where is Pedrosa? is he still injured?

ok, so Brno looks like a strong b'stone track. CE top michelin runner in 9th?



thing may/will change, but it looks like michelin are being run by a bunch of (badly) trained monkeys

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Frizzle @ Aug 15 2008, 09:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Looks like a 2 horse race again. Weather may play it's part but Michelin look stuffed again.
Thank god we are racing again.
Michelin appear to have totally lost the plot, although I think pedrosa and lorenzo may still have physical limitations.

Yamaha seem to have advanced, unless rossi has decided to play it a different way to press home any possible psychological advantage gained at laguna seca. I have only seen the live timing, and also wondered whether stoner might have decided to sand bag a little so as not to give rossi and jb a target. If neither is the case and if the previous pattern at other races this year is followed rossi will be faster by raceday.

Both were below the 2007 lap record at the end of the session and presumably were trying.

Nakano third on his first outing on the factory Honda:

http://www.motogp.com/en/Results+Statistic.../CZE/MotoGP/FP1

MotoGP » Brno - Free practice times (1).
Friday, 15th August 2008

1. Valentino Rossi ITA Fiat Yamaha Team ( 1min 57.782 secs
2. Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro Team ( 1min 57.911 secs
3. Shinya Nakano JPN San Carlo Honda Gresini ( 1min 59.021 secs
4. Alex de Angelis RSM San Carlo Honda Gresini ( 1min 59.134 secs
5. John Hopkins USA Kawasaki Racing Team ( 1min 59.220 secs
6. Chris Vermeulen AUS Rizla Suzuki MotoGP ( 1min 59.400 secs
7. Toni Elias SPA Alice Team ( 1min 59.756 secs
8. Loris Capirossi ITA Rizla Suzuki MotoGP ( 1min 59.770 secs
9. Colin Edwards USA Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 1min 59.965 secs
10. Marco Melandri ITA Ducati Marlboro Team ( 2min 0.082 secs
11. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Alice Team ( 2min 0.083 secs
12. Andrea Dovizioso ITA JiR Team Scot MotoGP (M) 2min 0.429 secs
13. Jorge Lorenzo SPA Fiat Yamaha Team (M) 2min 0.447 secs
14. Randy de Puniet FRA LCR Honda MotoGP (M) 2min 0.496 secs
15. James Toseland GBR Tech 3 Yamaha (M) 2min 1.074 secs
16. Anthony West AUS Kawasaki Racing Team ( 2min 1.128 secs
17. Dani Pedrosa SPA Repsol Honda Team (M) 2min 1.231 secs


2007 Czech Republic GP - 19/08/2007:
Pole position: Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro ( 1min 56.884secs
Fastest lap: Casey Stoner AUS Ducati Marlboro ( 1min 58.301secs

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Aug 15 2008, 11:15 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Michelin appear to have totally lost the plot, although I think pedrosa and lorenzo may still have physical limitations.
Agree
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Yamaha seem to have advanced, unless rossi has decided to play it a different way to press home any possible psychological advantage gained at laguna seca. I have only seen the live timing, and also wondered whether stoner might have decided to sand bag a little so as not to give rossi and jb a target. If neither is the case and if the previous pattern at other races this year is followed rossi will be faster by raceday.

Both were below the 2007 lap record at the end of the session and presumably were trying.

Yes, Yamaha seems to have found some power. If I remember correctly Rossi lost heaps in the two last sections last year, and I expected him to do the same this year, instead his strongest sections on FP1 was the first and last.
I have a hard time to belive Stoner are sandbagging while more than a second in front of the rest of the pack but you never know. Maybe he held back on the last section.
I wouldn't bet on Rossi being so much faster on raceday. They obviously went for a base setting that works real well here and that means that they have less potential in the improvement than usual.
And they where both faster than the 2006 record on race tires.

Impressive display by Rossi and Stoner. I don't think anyone is sandbagging. They were both miles ahead of third man Nakano and well below the 2007 fastest lap. It will be interesting to see how much they can improve in FP2.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Frizzle @ Aug 15 2008, 07:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Looks like a 2 horse race again. Weather may play it's part but Michelin look stuffed.
Thank god we are racing after a 3 week break

Bloody good two horse race at Laguna, if we get another one of those I'll be chuffed
The rest of the field look pretty sad though...

Well done my vale...

Glad Rossi went to the Stones....ever since the head of Mich past away they've had crap tires...


come on spec tire!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Babelfish @ Aug 15 2008, 09:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I have a hard time to belive Stoner are sandbagging while more than a second in front of the rest of the pack but you never know. Maybe he held back on the last section.
I wouldn't bet on Rossi being so much faster on raceday. They obviously went for a base setting that works real well here and that means that they have less potential in the improvement than usual.
And they where both faster than the 2006 record on race tires.
I was more hoping that stoner was sand bagging when rossi had the fastest lap for quite a period leading up to the end of practice. I am sure you are correct that both were trying hard at the end to be so far in front of the others.

This may be a sign of the increased heat generated by laguna seca and that rossi is going to try to dominate stoner whenever he can now rather than taking his usual approach this year of working up to speed through the sessions; I guess the future sessions will tell. Do yamaha have previous bridgestone tyre data for this track?; someone somehere else said that they do but I can't exactly recall where yamaha have tested the bridgestones.

For reference, the WSBK fastest race lap was 1:59.979 by Fabrizio.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RCV600RR @ Aug 15 2008, 09:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>For reference, the WSBK fastest race lap was 1:59.979 by Fabrizio.

But for Vale and Casey the field would be racing fair with a $150k super bike.

Embarrassing

Same story in FP2.
Not gonna be a brilliant race if half the field are 2 seconds off the pace... gotta hope Mich have some better race tyres.

By about half time FP 2
Stoner 1.57.5
Rossi 1.58.0
3-10 about 1.59
Guintoli is doing well at 9th 1.59.5