Pressure, pressure, pressure...

I think the poll is pretty self-explanatory. This much reorganisation of the factory seats in the off season doesn't happen that often (especially without retirements), creating a unique situation. Who do you think will be under the most pressure to produce results in 2011? You could easily make a case for any of the top five.



My answer: Dani Pedrosa. Or, maybe, Jorge Lorenzo. Hmmm... no, Dani Pedrosa. I think.



For me, Rossi, Stoner and Spies have a little breathing room as they are moving into new environments. Hayden and Dovizioso have less expectation to perform than the others; if they are mid-table after the first few rounds, it won't really come as a surprise to anyone--the pressure to keep their rides for 2012 will be enormous, though.



But for the two Spainiards...



Lorenzo will be the defending champion and the team leader. He has a new team mate to contend with, and the dynamic he is used to in the factory Yamaha team will be reversed. In the past three years, if he was faster than Rossi... then that was great; if Rossi was faster... no surprises there, he's Rossi! If Spies is consistently faster in the pre-season and beyond... well, things could get interesting. Also, in the minds of many fans and journalists, Lorenzo still has something to prove; but the fact that he has 'been there, done that' and has a stable team around him I think will alleviate some of the pressure.



Pedrosa will be entering his fifth year in the Repsol team--and he's been the number one rider for most of those years. That's a long time to ride for Honda in the premier class without bringing them a world championship; even the Japanese riders don't usually get that much tenure. Stoner joining the team has already produced some behind-the-scenes rumbling. If Suppo wins the power struggle, and Stoner is fast straight out of the blocks... Pedrosa can't afford another inconsistent season.



It's also interesting to note that podiums are going to be at a premium next season (barring injuries or a significant shift in the performance of each factory team). At least two of the bigger names are going to be disappointed at each round; perhaps more when Hayden and Dovizioso or a random satellite rider shows some form. Something's gotta give!

Thats a good one. Like you say, a few of the top guys have a kind of get out clause for bad performance.



The expectation has to be highest with Rossi. But it's Rossi, so if he doesn't win how much of the heat will he actually take? I think not that much, especially given Ducati's record in motogp.



Ben Spies needs only to improve from this season, job done. Dovi will be under a certain amount of pressure to justify his position in the team, but not title winning pressure realistically. Nicky is so consistent i don't think anyone is expecting miracles from him, so he's fine pressure wise.



Stoner has to show it was him and not the bike getting all those results. But has been relatively inconsistent over the last few years, and with Repsol Honda generally being a team out of favour, his faliure will most likely result in people questioning his treatment more so than his talent. Plus i think he'll do well anyway so it should be fine.



I agree that the two Spaniards are under the most pressure. Pedrosa is the only 'alien' without a world title despite the weight of HRC being behind him all these years. The bosses have hired another alien to try and get the job done, that shows they are doubting him. Dani has to get it done next year before the bikes get bigger and more riders get to his level. PRESSURE IS ON



Lorenzo has to lead his team, he has to beat Spies and he has to fill Rossi's shoes. That is some serious pressure.



Between he and Dani, i'm not sure who it's worse for. I'm voting Pedrosa

Rising Sun said:

I think the poll is pretty self-explanatory. This much reorganisation of the factory seats in the off season doesn't happen that often (especially without retirements), creating a unique situation. Who do you think will be under the most pressure to produce results in 2011? You could easily make a case for any of the top five.



My answer: Dani Pedrosa. Or, maybe, Jorge Lorenzo. Hmmm... no, Dani Pedrosa. I think.

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Excellent topic Sun. I have voted Lorenzo for the same reason that you have mentioned. He crossed half the river by winning the championship on the same team with Rossi and just to cross the remaining half with his technical leadership capabilities after which there will be no stopping him.



Dani/Casey will be decided only by the power struggle between Puig/Suppo. Casey in for a big fng time if Puig continues with his powers imo.

Casey he's going to a squad thats sorted & setup and he's got to do the biz



Yourgay close behind



Dani he's had his chance and not done it so dont expect that to chance



Rossi new team n bike nil input give it a few yrs



BTW

Dont worry about what pedro does he's protected by pug spanish sponsors and there TV.



Rossi no probs he might do some Aussie V8 During the hols

I think hands down it's Pedrosa. I mean the 800cc era seems to have been taylor made for him and yet he's not taken a title. With Stoner on the same bike next year I know he will feel the pressure, I mean the #1 rule in motorsports is to beat your teammate and in Stoner that task will be difficult at best.

Stoner on a new bike will not have a lot of pressure as it's a new bike etc, Rossi, same thing, I mean I know expectations for both will be high, but again they are on new bikes and expected a little leeway in regards to performance.

Puig/Pedrosa have to deliver in 2011 IMHO.

Dani,I think.Time to step up to the plate,wee man!

Lorenzo's ambition adds some stress to his situation. NO rider has won more than one single premier class title in the last 11 years, racing against Rossi (who won 7 out of 11 so far). Should Lorenzo repeat his feat it in 2011, that would be back to back title wins against Rossi, something unprecedented. Hmmm. He badly wants that. Anything less than that would amount to defeat for him. Thats' a lot of (partly self-applied) pressure.

There's enough pressure to go around in the top five and I don't think it's possible

to objectively quantify who's got the most.



Lorenzo - because he won't have the perceived benefit of Rossi's dev skills, because he's under pressure

to not be a one-time wonder and pressure to not be threatened ala Rossi, by his new teammate.



Stoner - because he needs to show that his crashing is all the fault of the Duc and also pressure to

show he's worthy of the #1 spot on a team sponsored with Spanish money.



Rossi - because he needs to live up to his legendary status as regards being able make any bike

and particularly the ex Stoner one - be a championship bike. If he only does as well as Stoner

in 2010 or is less successful - he won't be able to live with himself.



Pedro - because he's still on Repsol's ... and has not won a championship.



Dovi - because he does not want to stagnate - but will be riding with demonstrably less support from Honda

especially now that he's gone from #2 rider to #3 rider.



Spies - the least amount of pressure because he's been so laid back about results and has

not written any checks that he can't cover.

Im going to say stoner.

His fans have very high hope's for him on the Honda. We know the bike is pretty sorted so he has no excuses.



Dani is used to not winning and im not so sure he is that bothered.



Most Rossi fans are not expected him to win the championship on the 2011 bike although some races will be nice. His pressure starts in 2012. Same with spies.



Dovi will continue to improve but he is not expected to win anything.



Hayden im sure he will find his way back to the sharp end with the help of rossi's crew, although his fans will cry he is just testing for rossi even if he podiums every race but behind rossi.



im torn between lorenzo and stoner. i didnt pick lorenzo because i think the only real pressure he will be under is the pressure he puts on himself rather than from fans and media



I agree with the others sun, great question.

Rising Sun said:

But for the two Spainiards...



Lorenzo will be the defending champion and the team leader. He has a new team mate to contend with, and the dynamic he is used to in the factory Yamaha team will be reversed. In the past three years, if he was faster than Rossi... then that was great; if Rossi was faster... no surprises there, he's Rossi! If Spies is consistently faster in the pre-season and beyond... well, things could get interesting. Also, in the minds of many fans and journalists, Lorenzo still has something to prove; but the fact that he has 'been there, done that' and has a stable team around him I think will alleviate some of the pressure.



Pedrosa will be entering his fifth year in the Repsol team--and he's been the number one rider for most of those years. That's a long time to ride for Honda in the premier class without bringing them a world championship; even the Japanese riders don't usually get that much tenure. Stoner joining the team has already produced some behind-the-scenes rumbling. If Suppo wins the power struggle, and Stoner is fast straight out of the blocks... Pedrosa can't afford another inconsistent season.

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I think with Lorenzo's "been there done that" situtation and coming off his stellar 2010 season....he will have more pressure to repeat. He has no Rossi as a teammate, he is the one doing the "Rossi thing" after the races.....he can't fade off and not get a any sort of free pass. He was picked over Rossi's wishes by Yamaha so Lorenzo will have pressure to continue to run with the torch...or he will end up like Stoner as a one hit wonder.



I think Rossi will have little pressure for 2011...he is going into a new factory and the bike is already built with limited testing until the season starts and the current rule make it tough to have a major developmental push all season long. 2012 and the 1000cc is where Rossi is going to have to bring it for the masses to be happy. He has to bring a title in 2012 or he will be gunned down for switching teams at such an old age to show he is washed up and can't run with the younger riders.



Also Pedrosa is going into his 6th season with the Repsol Honda factory team (unless you were talking only with the 800cc class)...but I agree that Pedrosa has been given the world by Honda (total support, arguably the 800cc class created for him) and he has failed to bring in a title. He has even bad mouthed Honda last couple years and not gotten the boot like Biaggi!!

The rider for whom anything less than outright victory is perceived as defeat, is the one with the most pressure.

In 2011 that will be Lorenzo. In this regard, he will have inherited Rossi's "privilege".

Thats what is going to be great about next year. With all these team swapping going on all are going to be under a lot of pressure.



Lorenzo because he is the returning champion, but mainly because the yamaha is his bike now. If he doesn't win it next year you know what everyone is going to say. "He won 2010 on Vales bike."



Dani because he MUST beat his new teammate next year. And I think he will. 2011 champion, Dani Pedrosa. Why? Because that bike is good and not many changes are going to be made as compared to Burgess and co. leaving Yama.



Stoner doesn't have to prove that he is fast, we all know he is stupid fast(emphasis on the stupid). He has to prove that he can be consistent. He must prove to us that the front end tucks that have plagued him are not his fault but Ducatis. Which he will fail to do. What was his problem at Honda last time? Oh thats right front end tucks.



Dovi he is ...... anything short of a crown and he will be in moto2.



Rossi pressure yes, but the least I think. We all know that they will be working all year on that bike. So he has the most excuses to be off pace.

I said Dovi since Pedro just signed a 2 year deal and Dovi is in his last year.

Edit: Ok, I've come back to this post after thinking about it a bit more:



I asked myself, where does "pressure" in MotoGP come from? I think the answer is, the fans. And the reality is, 80% have a certain perspective. So it should follow that this particular perspective should drive where the pressure will be felt.



This is a great poll question. Man, I think they are all gonna feel pressure. For me certainly alot of pressure will be felt at Repsol, I just can't decide which of the two between Casey and Pedro. Rossi has the least pressure of all of the bunch. Going to a difficult bike means any results he gets will be good enough. Plus, when he wins, it will be him doing it, if he loses, its the Ducati's fault. Perfect situation. Spies, little pressure, just needs to make small improvement. Spies inherits a situation much like Lorenzo at the beginning of this year. It was only after several rounds did Lorenzo start to feel pressure. Pedro I think has less pressure than we think. Its us who puts the pressure on because we know the score, but honestly, I don't think this translates to his on the ground situation. He's safe in the warm embrace of Alberto. Lorenzo has a title, so some pressure is off. The only real pressure is to repeat.



So I think its between Lorenzo and Stoner now that I think of it more thoroughly. Even though Stoner has the get out of jail card of going to a new manufacture and team, the reality is, no matter what he does, the majority of fans perceive what he does under tremendous scrutiny. Lorenzo will feel pressure because he did the unthinkable, he beat Rossi. So in order for this title to have credence among a large contingent of MotoGP fans, then he will have to repeat or he will be chalked up as a fluke to go with the underlying tone of the other champs that have done the same.

Jumkie said:

Edit: Ok, I've come back to this post after thinking about it a bit more:



I asked myself, where does "pressure" in MotoGP come from? I think the answer is, the fans. And the reality is, 80% have a certain perspective. So it should follow that this particular perspective should drive where the pressure will be felt.



This is a great poll question. Man, I think they are all gonna feel pressure. For me certainly alot of pressure will be felt at Repsol, I just can't decide which of the two between Casey and Pedro. Rossi has the least pressure of all of the bunch. Going to a difficult bike means any results he gets will be good enough. Plus, when he wins, it will be him doing it, if he loses, its the Ducati's fault. Perfect situation. Spies, little pressure, just needs to make small improvement. Spies inherits a situation much like Lorenzo at the beginning of this year. It was only after several rounds did Lorenzo start to feel pressure. Pedro I think has less pressure than we think. Its us who puts the pressure on because we know the score, but honestly, I don't think this translates to his on the ground situation. He's safe in the warm embrace of Alberto. Lorenzo has a title, so some pressure is off. The only real pressure is to repeat.



So I think its between Lorenzo and Stoner now that I think of it more thoroughly. Even though Stoner has the get out of jail card of going to a new manufacture and team, the reality is, no matter what he does, the majority of fans perceive what he does under tremendous scrutiny. Lorenzo will feel pressure because he did the unthinkable, he beat Rossi. So in order for this title to have credence among a large contingent of MotoGP fans, then he will have to repeat or he will be chalked up as a fluke to go with the underlying tone of the other champs that have done the same.

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If your talking about self imposed pressure, i agree. I was talking more about job security pressure. The poll could actually be broken into 2 separate polls



Who will be riding under the most pressure next year



Who has the least job security







I

Jumkie said:

Edit: Ok, I've come back to this post after thinking about it a bit more:

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You are a bugger! You are making me reconsider. I agree that a lot of the pressure comes from the fans and the press (who naturally write largely what the fans want to read). Obviously the riders put a certain amount of pressure on themselves and there is some pressure from teams and employers, but that is relatively constant i think. With that in mind, it seems to me that As you say Stoner and Lorenzo will be under the most scrutiny as they are perceived as the biggest threats to Rossi (for obvious reasons).



My previous answer (pedrosa) was based on which rider i expect the most of, compared to what they have actually done/are likely to do. But i might change my answer. Having said that, i only know what goes on in the english speaking press. I don't know how things look in the Spanish and Italian press.

Tom said:

You are a bugger! You are making me reconsider. I agree that a lot of the pressure comes from the fans and the press (who naturally write largely what the fans want to read). Obviously the riders put a certain amount of pressure on themselves and there is some pressure from teams and employers, but that is relatively constant i think. With that in mind, it seems to me that As you say Stoner and Lorenzo will be under the most scrutiny as they are perceived as the biggest threats to Rossi (for obvious reasons).



My previous answer (pedrosa) was based on which rider i expect the most of, compared to what they have actually done/are likely to do. But i might change my answer. Having said that, i only know what goes on in the english speaking press. I don't know how things look in the Spanish and Italian press.

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I think Pedro will have a lot of self imposed pressure, cough cough puig cough, to prove he is on the same level as Stoner. He will try very hard to be the first honda every weekend.

MdubSTYLIE said:

I think Pedro will have a lot of self imposed pressure, cough cough puig cough, to prove he is on the same level as Stoner. He will try very hard to be the first honda every weekend.

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You make a great point, in that now, Puig can't go blaming "Hypocrite" Hayden or Good but No Alien Dovi. Alien vs Alien. If Stoner does beat Pedro (I know you think he won't) but entertain me for a moment, what do you think are Pedro's chances of staying at Repsol if after two more years no title is delivered? I think his five years with Repsol is a testament to Puig's influence on the governing body (actually one in the same). The thing is, he is the next best Spaniard, so this poses a dilemma for Repsol. How long can the juggernaut team hold on to a guy without a title? Honestly, if Casey doesn't deliver, as you think, I suppose its more believable to send him packing then Pedro. Man, that's gonna be an interesting dynamic, eh.

Jumkie said:

You make a great point, in that now, Puig can't go blaming "Hypocrite" Hayden or Good but No Alien Dovi. Alien vs Alien. If Stoner does beat Pedro (I know you think he won't) but entertain me for a moment, what do you think are Pedro's chances of staying at Repsol if after two more years no title is delivered? I think his five years with Repsol is a testament to Puig's influence on the governing body (actually one in the same). The thing is, he is the next best Spaniard, so this poses a dilemma for Repsol. How long can the juggernaut team hold on to a guy without a title? Honestly, if Casey doesn't deliver, as you think, I suppose its more believable to send him packing then Pedro. Man, that's gonna be an interesting dynamic, eh.

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Stoner could easily beat Pedro over the next couple seasons. Crashes IMO will be the reason he won't. If he beats Stoner for two years and doesnt win the title I dont see Danigoing anywhere. If Stoner hands him his ... over the next to seasons, Dani is gone. Probably on his own, to look for a new start. The replacement is obvious, however Pedrobot 2.0 has atleast 3 years before he is ready for the Repsol squad. Or Marquez as some people call him.



The baby vs the baby. One mentally and one physically. This is going to be a great battle to watch next year.

Ha, everyone is re-thinking their choice, and I came back to post the same thing. Definitely a good discussion though.



I originally chose Pedrosa, but now I'm leaning towards Lorenzo. My original thinking was that because this will be the last 800 format season, it will be his last and best shot to finally get himself (and HRC) a championship, and that will definitely bring the pressure. However, will it be any different than this year or last? He's shown that he's fast and can win races, but has had problems with injury, and the (possibly undeserved) perception that he can runaway with a flag-to-flag win but his racecraft isn't up to par with the other aliens. If he delivers the same performance in 2011 that we've seen: winning some races, fighting for the title but coming in 2nd or 3rd, would that look bad on him? I would say no, especially as suggested regarding the "fan perspective" Even if he loses a couple to Stoner I don't think that's a big deal and it's ultimately what people are expecting (unless Stoner trounces him every round). There's no doubt that the pressure to get the ultimate prize is a huge burden because many competitors feel worse getting 2nd than 3rd. But He's got nowhere to go but up and finally claim his prize. Unless he has a total meltdown and starts losing to Dovi and Stoner every round, he's in a pretty safe position. If he loses to Lorenzo, Rossi, or Stoner, it's no big deal: they've beaten him before, they are the aliens, its expected.



Lorenzo on the other hand, has everything to lose. He has the specter of "won on Rossi's bike", the difficulty of repeat champs, the expectation of team stability and the perception of having best bike on day 1 (could be totally false, but this will still be the perception). He's had a great season, and from his performance and history in 250s, he certainly could win another, but there are just so many what-ifs that could totally foul up his year. Is Spies ready to run at the front, or does he need another season? Lots of pressure if he loses races to Spies. Will Rossi get the Duc sorted quickly or does he need to wait til '12? Lots of pressure if he loses to Rossi. What if a combination of these factors including a possible Honda rocketship, cause Lorenzo to be off-podium consistently? Any one of these could threaten to fade his glories from this season quickly into historical afterthoughts.