Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
My Uncle Ralph is 98 and still bombs around in an old Dodge Charger. Does the mere fact of his longevity make him more admirable than Stoner?
My Uncle Ralph is 98 and still bombs around in an old Dodge Charger. Does the mere fact of his longevity make him more admirable than Stoner?
Joined May 2009
6K Posts | 4K+
Shovel's Club
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
Rossi's second bike was not a second slower than his first, he was marginally slower on the second bike and Marquez was marginally faster on his second bike made up the full second you refer too. Looking at race analysis, it appears that once Marquez blitzed him on cold tires to start the second stint, Rossi accepted his fate and was going to cruise to second. Once Vinales, Dovi and ....... showed up, his pace picked by 7-8 tenths which tells me Rossi is a points racer now. If he has a clear advantage, he will try for the win, but after watching the end of last season, him sit in 4th the entire Qatar race and roll over as fast as he did at Argentina, it is obvious that he is trying to steal a title by being the only one to not make a mistake. Marquez took the risk of pushing on cold tires, Rossi didnt .
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Rossi's entire strategy for 2015 was to collect points and challenge for wins where he could. It nearly worked due to all of the mistakes MM and JL made. I don't see 2016, 2017, or 2018 being any different. He doesn't have the outright speed anymore to be there every single race, so he has to race smarter with the hopes everyone else ..... up enough to gift him points/wins. If Iannone and Vinales don't go down, he finishes 5th Sunday...which might be more of a reality this year if everyone else can keep their bike upright.
Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
If if if....
If my aunt had junk she'd be my uncle.
Do you ever think about this crap you type out?
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Wait, are you saying Rossi was sandbagging? You mean to tell me he was employing the criminal activity that he accused Marquez of last year? Wasn't part of the accusation that Marquez had greater pace but he refused to use it until prompted?
Philip Island, Marquez sandbagged until the last lap until he found a second out of thin air to help Lorenzo by beating him?
Sepang, Marquez sandbagged until Rossi caught him then suddenly found the pace to be passed by Rossi repeatedly?
Valencia, sandbagged behind Lorenzo until Pedrosa used his sudden pace (was probably sandbagging too) to attempt an overtaking where he ran wide giving the fast line to Marquez?
Now Rossi is sandbagging? Say it isn't so.
I'm glad you've stuck around the forum. We need members like you to provide us with various viewpoint. I hope you convince Da Ambassador to post more. I'd like to read his opinions. Of course, as you've no doubt learned, it does take some skin to stick around. Take the forum for what it is, just a place where we all can soap box.
Rossi 'alluded' to 'maybe' a 'possible' tire issue. This would account for a difference, but as Povol said, I think it was a combination of Marc's stronger pace with Rossi's weaker pace. That can certainly come from the common difference of a #1 versus #2 bike.
However, i like to make comment as to an underlying message I detect in your post. To the point about the difference in bikes and how the pit stop may have cheated Rossi out of a win. (See his post race comments, now being echoed in other forums and comments sections). I'd like to point out Marquez was aware his second bike was superior to his first. His strategic plan was to "finish strong" rather than start strong. Contrast this to Rossi. I haven't read comments regarding his two bike strategy, but one of two things seems to be true, 1. He intended to have a stronger bike to start, or 2. His second stint was compromised by a poorer bike and/or poor tire. Either way, the fact remains, Marquez was stronger in the second stint to Rossi.
Here is the point, Marquez equalled or bested Rossi wilst he was on his weaker bike and Rossi was on his better one. Can someone explain why Rossi would attempt to assert that he was going to beat Marquez without the pit stop given that Marquez would have obviously picked his stronger bike which had superior pace to Rossi? That's not even factoring in that as Rossi himself has alluded, Michelin have a quality control problem.
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Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
I thinks it's bs that mm started on the weaker bike. Strategically it makes no sense.
Get yourself buried at the beginning of the race and have to fight with slower riders rather than use your strong bike to break away the make the change while the field is more spread out. Also. Strategically you'd stay on you weaker bike the shortest number of laps.
That being said. Keep in mind I am aware that mm is much faster than most of the field even if he is on bike 2.
Get yourself buried at the beginning of the race and have to fight with slower riders rather than use your strong bike to break away the make the change while the field is more spread out. Also. Strategically you'd stay on you weaker bike the shortest number of laps.
That being said. Keep in mind I am aware that mm is much faster than most of the field even if he is on bike 2.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Hi Steeeeeve, I'm very jealous of you this weekend. You're gonna have so much fun with all the gals and boys. Be sure to get your free 99 hat from Curvey. Say hello to your lovely wife. What bike will you be taking this year? Post pics too.
Marquez's crew were no doubt under pressure to perform well after making a hysterical mess of the last flag to flag at Phillip Island. I think they gave it extra thought and were very careful to plan out a strategy. His words below:
"It’s a special win, not only because it’s the first one of the year but also because with the team, we managed the situation very well, and after what happened in Australia on a similar occasion [in 2013], it was important for us to do well.
I knew that the first part of the race would be tough because it was still damp in some places, and with the first bike I hadn’t felt as good as with the other one even during practice. I knew that the second part of the race was the key. I pushed 100% in the first five laps after the bike change, I opened a gap and after that I just kept the distance.”
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Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
Good for them then. Very insightful for a team who couldn't count to ten last year.
Joined Jan 2011
3K Posts | 152+
The North!
Stick with them on the weaker bike and disappear on the stronger bike when the competition are on their weaker bike.
where exactly is there no sense in that plan,
Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
The potential for getting buried and having to make difficult passes and close battle racing part. .
Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
Wish you could make it Jum.
Give me a heads up if you're ever get to Austin.
You can crash in our guest house if that'll sweeten the odds.
Joined Apr 2015
6K Posts | 5K+
NJ
Go buy some, you're in desperate need of it.
Rossi was very close to finishing 5th Sunday. He was only bailed out by Iannone's torpedo, and Vinales going down in turn 1.
Joined Oct 2006
25K Posts | 4K+
Your Mom's House
Hahaha no doubt. I still laugh at the hysterical mess they made of Phillip Island. I think both Marquez and the team have ate enough humble pie to sober them up a bit, at least I think that may be the case for Marc.
Rossi mentioned he thinks his rear tire was possibly part of the problem.
"I was very happy to do the second part of the race because I was able to have a good battle with Marquez during the first part when I was strong and we started to overtake, but with the second bike I had big problems with the rear tyre, I didn’t have any feeling and couldn’t stop under braking."
Maybe it was fortunate for him that circumstances conspired to run a flag to flag, can you imagine 'if' by bad luck he would have been forced to run all 25 laps with a bum tire? I'm sure they didn't put that tire on knowing it was bad, so there was an element of luck. One of those "if" scenarios. However, VR did acknowledge there was an element of "luck" involved. So i think even Rossi is aware of "what if". See his last sentence:
"I was pushing and very close to the limit. Iannone overtook me a bit too aggressively and in that braking point his action was too strong and it was impossible to overtake so I went wide and he passed me. I said to myself: “Now what happens?” I tried to counterattack, but I didn’t have enough grip or speed to make a move, so I stayed behind him and when I saw that Iannone tried to improve his position and go under Dovizioso, he unfortunately couldn’t stop and took out also Dovi, so I was very lucky to arrive in second place." VR
Honestly, I wouldn't doubt Rossi got a bad tire. I don't trust Michelin. And I do suspect their quality control is lacking.
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Joined Jan 2011
3K Posts | 152+
The North!
But they have that at the beginning of the race anyway, off late we haven't seen any runaway in the first half of a race races, so it would make sense to have an advantage in the latter half, also after MMs spills in practice he was just as quick on his second bike, I don't know if VR was after his spill,
So using the no:2 bike which he was already as fast as others around him.
And no:1 which he was fastest overall on with about the same amount of fuel as a quallie session and a fresh tyre make perfect sense to me, win win situation.
Joined Sep 2009
482 Posts | 198+
Austin, Tx. USA
He won the race so you're probably right.
Just the potential of being stuck behind a group of riders in the beginning of the race seems too detrimental to risk. To me.
Joined Feb 2015
361 Posts | 155+
Iowa
True, but look how bad he was buried last year at Qatar and looked how it turned out for him. And I would say the RCV is better this year.
I don't claim to be an expert, but they mentioned during the race that VR's mechanics took the tire warmers off of his bike a lap before he switched. How much did they cool off before he switched?
Joined Feb 2007
11K Posts | 2K+
Tennessee
There is your answer. They knew bike 2 was quick enough to hold serve and maybe even win. He was at or near the top in every session, im just glad it worked out to where they got to use the same tires they had practiced and qualified on. Switching to the harder carcass would have screwed them royaly i believe.
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