If it wasn't for this forum I would have never been introduced to MotoGPmatters.com ... and after a short time at this forum have learned the biased arguments. I found Kropotkin's recap of the race very inspiring and insightful, this guy is good in his observations!
This excerpt is something I wasn't even aware of after watching the race and checking out all the other post race reviews of the racers:
-From one questionable return to another. Many people wondered what Marco Melandri had to gain from coming back to ride a bike which was universally considered pretty awful. But at the tests here a month ago, the Hayate team found some solutions to the rear traction problems which have plagued the Kawasaki for years, and at both the IRTA test at Jerez and the practice sessions, Melandri looked entirely capable of finishing well inside the top ten.
And if it hadn't been for an overly optimistic entrance into Turn 1 at the beginning of the second lap, that might well have happened. After running off into the gravel, and losing 23 seconds on the leader Casey Stoner, Melandri rode a strong race, fighting his way back past three riders who had a 10 or more second advantage over him, to finish the race in 14th place, and score points. Most importantly, Melandri is cheerful about the whole affair, and comfortable on the bike. Marco Melandri is going to cause one or two upsets this year.
And some goood thoughts on the single tire rule... sounding like F1:
-And the single tire rule has had another major effect on racing, and one which its proponents probably didn't expect. Those who hoped that a single tire would make the racing closer have been disappointed, as the race was as processional as last year. But thinking logically about it, this is exactly what you would expect to happen. The argument for putting everyone on equal equipment is that rider skill will be become the sole determining factor in the outcome of the race, rather than the abilities of the engineers.
But what happens when everyone is on the same equipment is that it is easier for the best riders to beat lesser men, and the emphasis on rider skill means the gaps will grow larger, not smaller. After all, a less skillful rider cannot compensate by using the better equipment to his advantage.
This excerpt is something I wasn't even aware of after watching the race and checking out all the other post race reviews of the racers:
-From one questionable return to another. Many people wondered what Marco Melandri had to gain from coming back to ride a bike which was universally considered pretty awful. But at the tests here a month ago, the Hayate team found some solutions to the rear traction problems which have plagued the Kawasaki for years, and at both the IRTA test at Jerez and the practice sessions, Melandri looked entirely capable of finishing well inside the top ten.
And if it hadn't been for an overly optimistic entrance into Turn 1 at the beginning of the second lap, that might well have happened. After running off into the gravel, and losing 23 seconds on the leader Casey Stoner, Melandri rode a strong race, fighting his way back past three riders who had a 10 or more second advantage over him, to finish the race in 14th place, and score points. Most importantly, Melandri is cheerful about the whole affair, and comfortable on the bike. Marco Melandri is going to cause one or two upsets this year.
And some goood thoughts on the single tire rule... sounding like F1:
-And the single tire rule has had another major effect on racing, and one which its proponents probably didn't expect. Those who hoped that a single tire would make the racing closer have been disappointed, as the race was as processional as last year. But thinking logically about it, this is exactly what you would expect to happen. The argument for putting everyone on equal equipment is that rider skill will be become the sole determining factor in the outcome of the race, rather than the abilities of the engineers.
But what happens when everyone is on the same equipment is that it is easier for the best riders to beat lesser men, and the emphasis on rider skill means the gaps will grow larger, not smaller. After all, a less skillful rider cannot compensate by using the better equipment to his advantage.
