MotoGP Catalunya race discussion

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MigsAngel @ Jun 8 2008, 02:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>1. Dani Pedrosa - Rabbit
2. Valentino Rossi - If only you'd a been on the front row in QP!
3. Casey Stoner - Long way to Go Casey hang in there!
4. Andrea Dovizioso - Bloody Marvelous...was that for extra cash in the repsol package?
5. Colin Edwards - Your win is coming!
6. James Toseland - Keep at it...you will soon get on the podium!
7. Chris Vermeulen - Nice job but you got beat by the tougher rider.
8. Nicky Hayden - You looked great in practice, and got swamped at the start...shame really
9. Shinya Nakano - Token Japanese guy.
10. John Hopkins - You teeth look great....shame you were not on TV at all!
11. Marco Melandri - Well to fight off Westy...
12. Anthony West - You beat Guinter...WOW...
13. Sylvain Guintoli - You didn't Black Flag nice job!



Dani smiles cause he doesn't have to actually race anyone...
His girlfriend is hot, it is just a shame for her that he make loves like he races....quick and alone!
hard to argue with that but im sure jumkie will

For me... it was good to see stoner fight it out. I think this bodes well for his confidence and He will contend for more wins this year.

Rossi. What can I say. Dude you are GOOD. GREAT... yeah. kudos to you...

Pedrosa - what did anyone expect. The guy rides extremely well from the front. He doesn't like to swap, chop and charge/ "race" anyone. If he gets away its over

Good for him to win his home race....

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Duc999 @ Jun 8 2008, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>For me... it was good to see stoner fight it out. I think this bodes well for his confidence and He will contend for more wins this year.

Rossi. What can I say. Dude you are GOOD. GREAT... yeah. kudos to you...

Pedrosa - what did anyone expect. The guy rides extremely well from the front. He doesn't like to swap, chop and charge/ "race" anyone. If he gets away its over

Good for him to win his home race....
i disagree, i think this will knock his confidence. he started on poll only to get caught up and beaten by rossi who started 9th and fall up to 7.5 seconds behind dani who started 2nd on the grid. stoner looked quite unhappy when he was talking to him team mates.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jun 8 2008, 01:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>i disagree, i think this will knock his confidence. he started on poll only to get caught up and beaten by rossi who started 9th and fall up to 7.5 seconds behind dani who started 2nd on the grid. stoner looked quite unhappy when he was talking to him team mates.
I don't know that he has lost confidence in himself as yet, but he definitely doesn't have the same confidence in the bike. Whether it is the torque curve, the chassis or whatever, the "improvements" to the GP07 seem to have done something to the essential balance of the bike; talk before the race was that the GP 08 doesn't behave the same way from lap to lap, making it hard for him to ride the bike right on or past the edge (motocrossing as a poster on another forum refers to it), as was his wont last year.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Jun 8 2008, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't know that he has lost confidence in himself as yet, but he definitely doesn't have the same confidence in the bike. Whether it is the torque curve, the chassis or whatever, the "improvements" to the GP07 seem to have done something to the essential balance of the bike; talk before the race was that the GP 08 doesn't behave the same way from lap to lap, making it hard for him to ride the bike right on or past the edge (motocrossing as a poster on another forum refers to it), as was his wont last year.

I still think hes doing a good job on it compared to his teammates, alot like last year.
The problem is Honda and Yamaha have caught up in the engine department alot and the ducati doesn't have much comeback around the corners (never did)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (an4rew @ Jun 8 2008, 03:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I still think hes doing a good job on it compared to his teammates, alot like last year.
The problem is Honda and Yamaha have caught up in the engine department alot and the ducati doesn't have much comeback around the corners (never did)


thats kinda obvious and I would say its a damn sight better than a good job

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Jun 8 2008, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I don't know that he has lost confidence in himself as yet, but he definitely doesn't have the same confidence in the bike. Whether it is the torque curve, the chassis or whatever, the "improvements" to the GP07 seem to have done something to the essential balance of the bike; talk before the race was that the GP 08 doesn't behave the same way from lap to lap, making it hard for him to ride the bike right on or past the edge (motocrossing as a poster on another forum refers to it), as was his wont last year.


i think it was the adjustment to the frame with the gp8 is why stoner doesnt get much feel, i believe thats one problem with the ducati..... they are still using a steel frame, they need to switch to an alloy frame because then the bike will be slightly lighter but also have a much better feel allround for any rider.

i hope they give the gp9 a alloy frame giving riders a better feel on the track.

im sure i read somewhere that ducati will use a alloy frame but who knows....but im sure they need it if they want to give there riders better feel and to make the bike feel more balanced.

I was tipping Stoner for the win - yesterday he was as good as ever with the Ducati, so I think the setup was ok. But apparently Pedro had been in hiding during practice, and also Rossi a little bit. I think Ducati is now as good as last year, but the others have gained ground, that's all, and Stoner does what he can.

Rossi took a little "stoner" out of his shoes today... He passed him once, then let him take the lead again (he intentionally hit the brakes long before his usual mark on the straight) then passed him again with two laps to go and away he went, stamping an impressive 1:42:6 at the very end of the race... I do not think Stoner's confidence took any boost out of this race...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (roger-m @ Jun 8 2008, 08:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>rossi did a lot of slip streaming behind stoner after he had been past because by the ducati top speed but come the last few laps it looked as though that power advantage had gone. maybe rossi made stoner use his fuel while rossi saved his by slipstreaming causing stoners tc to limit the power. as for chassis problems it looked to me that all the fast riders had problems with the bike moving around.
Stoner's front was shaking a lot. I though it was his front tyre. But Rossi didn't has the same problem (his M1 was quite stable). So I think maybe Ducati still has homework to do with the chassis.
Remember Stoner was going wide at the same place

This is what Stoner said after the race :

"If we'd had pretty even machinery, there were places where I knew I could have passed him, but we just couldn't get any drive out of the corner and were just losing too much,"
So Yamaha has the edge now ?

"I was having to make it up on the brakes, but by the time I'd made it up, there was no more room to make an overtaking pass. <span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%I was fighting a losing battle really."
A true champion can't say something like that...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68112

Might be a bit off topic, but does any one know who that huge guy with Tony Elias on the grid was ? Jesus he was tall.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (#46 @ Jun 8 2008, 04:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Stoner's front was shaking a lot. I though it was his front tyre. But Rossi didn't has the same problem (his M1 was quite stable). So I think maybe Ducati still has homework to do with the chassis.
Remember Stoner was going wide at the same place

The Duc always moves more than other bikes.
Stoner was doing the same times today as yesterday. It is Pedro and (marginally) Rossi who have improved their times in the race. So if yesterday Casey said the bike was good, he can't really say the bike was suddenly bad today...

Of course your bike may feel worse when you have to duel with a Rossi in good form -

i am to a bit tired of stoners constant excuse of "something in the bike" wasn't right and he "doesn't know why" come on casie stop making excuse's

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (#46 @ Jun 8 2008, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>This is what Stoner said after the race :

"If we'd had pretty even machinery, there were places where I knew I could have passed him, but we just couldn't get any drive out of the corner and were just losing too much,"
So Yamaha has the edge now ?

"I was having to make it up on the brakes, but by the time I'd made it up, there was no more room to make an overtaking pass. <span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%I was fighting a losing battle really."
A true champion can't say something like that...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/68112

Valentino said the same things last year.

What's with all these unwritten, made-up, cultural rules? Champions can do whatever they want. The #1 on his bike shows that he is a "true" champion. Every motorcycle rider whines, it's in their genetics. They are all a half-foot too short and they weigh less than their girlfriends. I'm sorry, they're gonna bitch like the ....... they are.

Yamaha have always had the edge on Ducati except last season when the bike was so slow off the top Valentino couldn't do a lot with it. Yamaha have fixed that problem, so yeah, the Yam is a better bike again.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mylexicon @ Jun 8 2008, 06:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Valentino said the same things last year.


Can you show me whan he said that. The part of 'if I had the same bike I would have overtaken him'.

Nice Race , i loved how Rossi manages to get from the third line , it would've been a fight race between Rossi and Pedrosa if he would started at least in second line, and Dovi wow , he did a jump start , and rushed Stoner at some point of the race.

omg.. OMG!!!!!



great to see rossi in front of stoner!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (mylexicon @ Jun 8 2008, 07:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Valentino said the same things last year.

True, Rossi did say soemthing similar but then it was clear for enyone with eyes to see that Stoner had much more power. That rossi are able to get a better drive out of allmost any trun is nothing new, that's the way it's allways been. The difference to day was that the difference in the engine department is slightly less, and Rossi are on the same tires and had grip to pass stoner in that lefthander (btw another of Rossi's comments last year)

I wish we would have gotten to see the JT and CV going at it more. A great battle of Rossi and Stoner for 2nd. It was interesting to see Rossi's throttle position compared to Casey's, not just on the corner exits, but also on the long strait.

Good race for #2, he ran it almost perfectly. I wonder if he made some mistakes or just played it safe after he got the 7.5 sec cushion? He did only finish 3+ sec over Rossi.

And someone mentioned who the "hot babe" was. 10 bucks says its his mom.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Traverser @ Jun 8 2008, 09:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I wish we would have gotten to see the JT and CV going at it more. A great battle of Rossi and Stoner for 2nd. It was interesting to see Rossi's throttle position compared to Casey's, not just on the corner exits, but also on the long strait.
Interesting were also Rossi good temper at the interview. He had fun out there and settled for thepossible. 2. is not bad work on a bad day (ok, it was yestarday that were bad but ansyway)
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <div class='quotemain'>Good race for #2, he ran it almost perfectly. I wonder if he made some mistakes or just played it safe after he got the 7.5 sec cushion? He did only finish 3+ sec over Rossi.
Pedrosa? My guess is that he had his tires going off a bit and didn't push it. I'm sure he could have pushed harder and had an extra second or two at race end but that would have been silly and dangerous in the situation he were in. I found Rossis 42 lap at the end interesting, those tires were not finished. Just proves he's comfotable with the stones now.