How does Casey go about beating Rossi now...

I have no problem with the the way that race went down and i was pulling for Stoner.Rossi showed the fight that has made him what he is.Now Casey has to do the same.Rossi showed the win at all cost mentality that he had when he was younger.I agree that the track allowed for it and the same tactics might not be available when they get back to the European tracks.That was a HUGE win in terms of the championship.The way Rossi is riding,its going to to be a slow process chipping 5 to 7 points a race and that is IF,Stoner finishes ahead of Rossi almost every race which i dont think is going to happen.Stoner will have to be almost perfect or Rossi is going to have one more bad race.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gsfan @ Jul 21 2008, 12:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>But can it be that easy? What if Rossi has overcome the crappy starts and is right there from the beginning? I still think that Pedrosa is the key to Stoners championship success now that he is almost out of it he will fight like a dog to get back in the hunt. His lightening starts will force Rossi into a battle with Pedrosa leaving the door wide open for Stoner to check out and leave them to battle behind. In fact, maybe that is the difference in this race. Pedrosa was gone and Rossi could concentrate on Stoner. The race being at the Laguna track didn't hurt either.


well, i don't think anything is going to be "easy" when you have riders with the talent of pedbot, stoner, and rossi battling it out. i do think that is stoner's mindset though. just keep doing what he has and let the fight come to him.

i think rossi definitely frustrated him at laguna. he knew he was faster, but has having a hard time getting around. he'll definitely be an even tougher opponent when he gets more time under his belt.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gsfan @ Jul 21 2008, 12:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>And it didn't help he thought he had it all sewn up from Friday onwards. He had a false sense of security that I think is gone forever. That is one of the major lessons from this weekend.

And if he uses that in a positive way,it will make him a better rider.It goes back to the old saying

Thats why you play the game,or in this case,thats why you run the race.In sports there are no sure things.Ask the New England Patriots

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BEN @ Jul 21 2008, 09:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Plllllllllease can we give this sort of .... a rest?

Its been done to death now.

Anyone with an ounce of gumption knows that its Stoner that makes the difference, and the combo packages of tyres, bike & casey jsut works.........otherwise we'd have 3 other ducati's at the front.


I agree Ben that it is getting tiresome to hear the same rhetoric about the bike doing ALL the work, because clearly the package is working as a cumulative effect.
BUT....I must say that this race DOES highlight my original thought that the WAY that Ducati can be ridden to victory is very particular.....by this I mean that Stoner depends on being able to open the throttle full and let the bike do the work (TC). In traffic or when someone is blocking, he can't do it, so the bike gets sideways as his throttle input is not consistent. This was brought to light by the onboard telemetry showing Stoner going to full throttle before Rossi while still being behind him.....as anyone knows, the rider in the front will/should be able to do that first. The other Ducati riders, as Melandri said himself early in the season, are less trusting in that system so they either dial down the system or fail to use it as Stoner does so they experience mixed results. Stoner has the balls to pin it to the stop and trust the Desmo to stay planted. But this being its greatest strength, as Rossi exposed, it is also its greatest weakness.

rossi wont be able to start from the front row in every race.
and in those races stoner HAS to make the most of his advantage (downright mess-your-pants pace) , 'cos they aren't gonna come by often!

How does Casey go about beating Rossi now...
Well,Laguna Seca is a unique ,very tight,narrow and very slow track ,more than any other on the calendar probarbly.
I think on just about any other track,Rossi wouldn't have been able to keep him behind.That's it.
On the other hand,Rossi have (asked)demanded/ordered upgrades and more power which he will have no doubt after the summerbrake.So i'm not sure Ducati's latest upgrades in Barcelona that made the Ducati and Yamaha equal ,will be enough.
As for riders Stoner vs Rossi,Rossi ofcourse have an advantage right now and doulbe boosted ego,partly from the win and partly from pissing Stoner off.
I just hope Stoner focuses on what makes himself faster and block out Rossi untill he beats Rossi again.

Easy...Wet the track with Stoners TEARS

First thing is Stoner can't make this personal...he should know better. If it gets personal, Vale will mind .... him and win.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gsfan @ Jul 21 2008, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Think Germany....maybe not a good idea.

how is it not a good idea?
It's the answer to the question is it not?

Firstly stoner isn't affected bt Rossi and his mental attacks when he puts em out there. You people that say this and that about TC and Ducati blah blah blah. we got some good riders going for it week in and week out. Some of these complicated debates are just folly. Just realize that they all even rossi uses TC. Pure and simple Soner is good and it ticks some of you off cause your favorite rider isn't showing the same prowess and reliability. The rest of the year should be good and there are still some points out there to be won. Who's gonna win is really a guess at this point cause Rossi could have mistakes just like Stoner did at laguna.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gsfan @ Jul 21 2008, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Pedrosa fell down and Stoner won in the rain by 8 seconds I think so tears will not help. That is what I meant...

And thats what i meant! ..."How does Casey go about beating Rossi now..."
my answer...in the wet...advantage Stones cause he has his own rain making machine....his tear ducts.

Come gsfan keep up.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gsfan @ Jul 21 2008, 01:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>.... man I catch on slow sometimes

no worries m8..the herb confuses me daily

I think probably this was the first time when Stoner faced this Valentino Rossi (I think Rossi was very aggressive, hard but not over the line this time), not a friendly guy from the paddock any more but a totally experienced racer who does everything in purpose of winning the race.
I agree that in WSB there are similar incidents almost every weekend. This behaviour of Casey's is the consequence of his age and like I said: he is not used to dogfights.
So if Stoner wants this championship then he has to ride or extremely fast (as before) either extremely precise and cocky. The best would be the both.
I would say he should fight with him like Vale does himself. Rossi will sense the smallest correctness (backing up from risky situations) and will use it without hesitation. If CS wants this championship then he has to be as khm...near the line as Rossi. Or get away soon and see ya at the checker flag...but I would prefer the first one.
Ooo yeeeahh: and get Gibernau on the other Duke asap!! He could make Rossi sweat since he has nothing to loose. I am not sure at the moment he has the pace to match the top-guys but I think in 2-3 races he will have.

It won't be possible to block that easily on some of the other tracks but this was a big win for Rossi which will have lasting effects on Stoner.

Rossi knows now to grab the lead and get physical... takes the electronics and race simulation out of the question.