Qatar round 1 2010. RACE

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (andrei @ Apr 12 2010, 07:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Unbelievable!!!!!

First time in history - the slowest bike won the race


Rossi trademark!

How was this possible?

WTF?

Watched all the racing on a laptop in a hotel, and the stream kept freezing - crap availability, .... slow broadband connection.

So Honda have out-duked Ducati and built one of their own. Gone for good is the legacy of that stupid toy that they wheeled out '07, and they've built a mans bike again - which today Pedrosa wasn't man enough to handle.

So now we know precisely the cost of reverting to the big bang motor, but a few clicks down on the straight is a reasonable price to pay to see the 2006 World Champion showcase his talent again after so long.

Man of the race Lorenzo.

Casey went a second quicker than the previous lap and lost the front. It's got nothing whatsoever to do with feeling the pressure from Rossi, he just wanted the most emphatic victory possible. Like Rog says - it was his to lose. He knew he had the speed, and that's the risk you take in this sport when you ride so close to the edge. Nonetheless you don't hand 25 points to the GOAT in the first race of the season. Great point also made by Chop as to whether a rider could end up an engine down through ingesting sand and gravel.

Brilliant debut/result for Spies - but then we said exactly the same when JT......did exactly the same two years back.

Thanks for the links and the reminder about BBC i player Pigeon, although that's the last time I will ever watch a race online or on the BBC for the foreseeable future. Recorded the Eurosport coverage back home on my Sky+ Box so that I can watch it again with some decent commentary and some passion.

I was pissed to see Stoner go down - I really want things to be close this season. None of Vale's rivals can afford a DNF, it's that simple.

I'm not gonna be a sucker and draw season-long conclusions from race one, but there was some exciting and encouraging performances today. Spies and Hayden particularly have done themselves proud!! Lorenzo didn't do anything too special, but just re-established himself where we know he should be. Stoner... well that wasn't really any good. All those things we praise Casey for have a downside.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (J4rn0 @ Apr 11 2010, 04:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>In his post-race interview on Italian tv Rossi explained that whatever small changes they made to his setup before the race, did not work as expected. His bike was sliding too much, he said. He added that Stoner was too fast for him. <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%Still he could fight Dovi and Lorenzo off.

Well, what he says figures, - the sliding problem explains the excessive fuel consumption and his relative slowness compared to the tests.lorenzo was never a factor for him..... i think he meant hayden.

Which bike was the fastest today?

Was it Honda or Yamaha? The Honda looked to me faster than the Yamaha.


The Doctor did it again,

once he almost lost the lead to Dovi, but with breaking later in the corner he saved it.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrabbiata1 @ Apr 11 2010, 10:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Brilliant debut/result for Spies - but then we said exactly the same when JT......did exactly the same two years back.
I said the exact same thing to bonny, the tech3 always seems to be 5th or 6th place at the start of the season. Jt was always there about and even ginters and Nakano if my memory serves me. Was a good ride for the pie man but nothing to write home about just yet imho.

Glad you manage to get some sought of coverage to see the race. No 125 or moto2 on the red button that i can see

Faaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhck... What a great race. Vintage Rossi. Probably conserving fuel and engine life, but keeping things interesting until the final few laps and pulling the pin. Fun stuff.

Even at three quarters distance, I didn't think Lorenzo would be able to reel in Hayden and Dovi in time, especially with his crushed hand. By the way, did anyone catch the bit about that injury may not have come from a training accident? Rumors that he smashed it up racing mini bikes with Checa.

Dovi! .... me, he's fast in a straight line. Well earned podium.

Absolutely gutted for Nicky. I want to watch that race at least two or three more times but ...., he deserved a podium. Probably the fanboy in me, but when he was reeling in Rossi and pressuring Dovi and was fastest on track, I thought he had one in him. The move he put on Dovi on the last lap was brilliant, he deserved better than to be beaten to the line in a drag by his predecessor. Very promising, though.

Spies was very, very impressive and is only going to get better. de Puniet had another good ride. Too bad the depth of this field is so deep, he's hardly noticed.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (demingracer @ Apr 11 2010, 03:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Come on Hayden! Ducati maybe if you spent a little more time on nickey you might have two riders at the front
Ducati have paid very close attention to Hayden's feedback. Some have even suggested that he's been getting closer attention than Stoner because of his development skills. It's certainly not for lack of effort on Ducati's part. They've done everything imaginable to give Hayden what he needs and a fourth in the opening round is proof of that.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (demingracer @ Apr 11 2010, 03:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Suprised to see hayden's ducati just didn,t seem to have top end to hold anybody off.
I think the only rider in his group with a higher top speed was Dovi. The Ducati was only a few clicks off the Honda but well quicker than the Yams. Too bad he couldn't have pulled out another fraction before 16 and Dovi's speed wouldn't have factored.

With the Hondas making that kind of speed - Yamaha have to be worried.
Rossi rode brilliantly but ran out of gas on cool down lap.

Anyhow... the best thing (and there were a lot of bests) was seeing
Nicky slug it out. Lets hope this is an augur for rest of the season.
Looking like Ducati's patience is bearing fruit. Go Nicky! And I don't
want to hear any ........ saying it was a boring race!

As for Pedro: make as much fun of him as you can - while you can.
Next year it'll be Moto 2 for him.

Stoner had said in a pre-race interview that winning at Qatar
has not exactly proved a good sign for the final result at season's end.
Anything can happen.

These comment should be in the spoiler thread. Now you have just told everyone who has not yet seen the race the result !

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chopperman @ Apr 11 2010, 04:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I said the exact same thing to bonny, the tech3 always seems to be 5th or 6th place at the start of the season. Jt was always there about and even ginters and Nakano if my memory serves me. Was a good ride for the pie man but nothing to write home about just yet imho.
I was rather impressed. His times were right on par with Lorenzo's and was reeling him in until Lorenzo caught Hayden.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (chopperman @ Apr 11 2010, 05:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I said the exact same thing to bonny, the tech3 always seems to be 5th or 6th place at the start of the season. Jt was always there about and even ginters and Nakano if my memory serves me. Was a good ride for the pie man but nothing to write home about just yet imho.

Glad you manage to get some sought of coverage to see the race. No 125 or moto2 on the red button that i can see

Look where he was in relation to his teammate. I predicted early on that Edwards would
end up being the shadow of Spies. Toesland beat his teammate last year - how many times?

It's not Honda that is faster, it's Yam and Duc that got slower, specially Ducati that went for the twinpulse config. That is a "problem" on the straights.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (inam @ Apr 11 2010, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>That race was in Sachsenring 08.
Dani got another one of his lightening launches. Much as I think he's lost his ability to stick close racing, by then he'd completely defied his critics who said he couldn't ride in the wet. This was a stunning performance, and he was consistently pulling up to a second a lap on his pursuers. Speculation was that Uncle Alberto was feeding deliberately spurious/erroneous pit board information suggesting that the gap was closing, forcing Pedrosa into the error. As I remember it it came under braking going into turn one - probably a bit harder and later than previous laps, and with Pedrosa being 100% front brake - the front washed out and he hit the air fence hard. He had to fly back from Laguna during qualifying the following week for treatment, missing the race and screwing his season.

I don't think Casey was pushed out of his comfort zone. Perhaps he did push too hard, too early. It's certainly too early in the season to be sitting on a DNF. J4rn0 said that Casey's only problem is that he's not just content with winning - he want's to demolish the opposition. I disagree - that's just one of his foibles. To me his main problem is his lack of finesse and quite simply on occasions like this - a mature race brain. He's not the most intelligent rider out there, and that in essence is his achilles heel.

I agree, Stoner is a ........ Demolish the opposition? it seems he will demolish himself and the bike first.

Qatar is the high speed circuit now that china is gone, seems to me like rossi was preserving which is ....... These tech regs may yet spoil the season, stoner did just what most now come to expect from him and with nickys great ride cs will feel this one.

Good to see the Honda moving well. It will be the Rossi and Jorge show again this year.....

I'm very happy for Nicky and his fans- great race

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (gui22a @ Apr 11 2010, 11:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>It's not Honda that is faster, it's Yam and Duc that got slower, specially Ducati that went for the twinpulse config. That is a "problem" on the straights.
Agree and disagree. The Yam and Duc have definitely sacrificed some top end speed, but if your suggesting that that Honda's not quicker in a straight line then you've been in a different galaxy for the past three seasons.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (yello13 @ Apr 11 2010, 02:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>2008 Sachsenring. If pedrosa woulda won that entire championship if he would have just kept it on two wheels there. Messed up his mojo.

Peddles had some help that day....

His pit board was showing +1 or so when he was really 4+ seconds ahead.  He fell and went pavement surfing for a few hundred feet before wrecking his hand when it hit the edge of the grass. The injury took months to fully heal and his season was toast.  AFAIK, Alberto would be the one responsible for the BS pit numbers.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Keshav @ Apr 11 2010, 11:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Look where he was in relation to his teammate. I predicted early on that Edwards would
end up being the shadow of Spies. Toesland beat his teammate last year - how many times?
Twice last season. 6 times the season before Dont get me wrong, i am impressed with spies as i was only thinking of a top 10 for him. so to come 5th is impressive but not anywhere near as good as some of his fans were proclaiming his was going to be..

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pigeon @ Apr 12 2010, 04:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>thats not de-tune ? has Rossi used an engine up all ready
Maybe thought they'd be second anyway so save engine race 1 and bring it on a bit in the nxt two rounds...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (rossiofsky @ Apr 12 2010, 04:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Without the actions of Lorenzo and Hayden, this would be a very boring race.
Say what? Uhmm -Dovi, Pedro and Casey early, Spies, DePuniet... all had BORING rides...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Apr 11 2010, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>By the way, did anyone catch the bit about that injury may not have come from a training accident? Rumors that he smashed it up racing mini bikes with Checa.

Thats not a rumour, thats what happened. I read a quote somewhere from Lorenzo himself, he crashed on his first attempt to pass Checa who had just come past him. Jorge said he let his competative side out and he learnt a valuable lesson.