Qatar round 1 2010. RACE

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Duc999 @ Apr 12 2010, 11:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>What thehell is up with Melandri?
Is he done?
Here are the words from the (slow) horse's mouth...

Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini, 13th.
“That was a very disappointing race, one of the worst of my career. It was impossible for me to ride – I was struggling from the start and after a few laps it got worse, with the engine braking system cutting out which meant I couldn’t even brake properly. There was something wrong with the throttle connection and I couldn’t work out how much to open the gas – sometimes I was giving too much and the bike was moving around on the exits of the corners. It is a bad race to end a disappointing weekend. I just have to keep the faith that my team can help me find a solution.
Unfortunately I am a very sensitive rider with a specific style and it seems this bike is not the best solution for me. I’m really upset.”

I like Tony, but dude don't give us another year of your Ducati-esque whining!!!

Barbera bouncing off other riders like a ping-pong ball...

Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing rider - DNF
"I managed to gain some positions in the first turn, but... after a few curves also Barbera has accidentally hit me sending me outside the track."

Alvaro Bautista:
"I had a bad start and Barbera pushed me out on lap two and I lost everything.

Keeping up that 250 riding style, eh Hector?

NICKY HAYDEN – (Ducati Marlboro Team #69) 4th

"Man! I really didn’t expect to be so tough in the race but the team made a couple of small changes that made a huge difference and right from the warm-up lap I felt good. I got a great start and Rossi didn’t seem a lot faster than me. In a couple of places he was getting away but I just tried to stay in there and learn something - it’s been so long since I ran at the front. If you offered me fourth place, two seconds behind Rossi, before the race I would have taken it but to be so close to the podium and not actually up there… it hurts. Still, it’s a long season and there are a lot of opportunities ahead of us. I’m sorry for Casey but fourth place with all the other heavies in there has got to be my best result. We got some good points in the bag so we’ll take it, get out of here and move on. Big thanks to the team and everybody at Ducati for sticking behind me and for all their hard work this winter. I hope I can repay them this year."

As always a class act that Nicky!!!

Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 6th.
“All the weekend I was up there and I am very satisfied about this result. My start was not that bad, but with a bit of traffic I have got a little bit pushed out in the first corner. After that I lapped a smart race as my pace on race trim was really good like the top guys. At five laps to go we were five seconds behind the leader, which is incredible for us as a satellite team. The hard work we have made in the winter and the long run we have been made adjusting the race map have helped us to get this positive result in the first round of the season.”

Maybe you can pass this this tidbit of race craft on to Casey!!!! LOL

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Duc999 @ Apr 12 2010, 04:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>What thehell is up with Melandri?
Is he done?
Maybe the Kawasaki wasn't as bas last year as everyone thought?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Apr 12 2010, 06:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Here are the words from the (slow) horse's mouth...

Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini, 13th.
“That was a very disappointing race, one of the worst of my career. It was impossible for me to ride – I was struggling from the start and after a few laps it got worse, with the engine braking system cutting out which meant I couldn’t even brake properly. There was something wrong with the throttle connection and I couldn’t work out how much to open the gas – sometimes I was giving too much and the bike was moving around on the exits of the corners. It is a bad race to end a disappointing weekend. I just have to keep the faith that my team can help me find a solution.
Unfortunately I am a very sensitive rider with a specific style and it seems this bike is not the best solution for me. I’m really upset.”

I like Tony, but dude don't give us another year of your Ducati-esque whining!!!

Its a make-or-break year for Melandri. I think Marco's shooting himself in the foot. HONDA will get there .... sorted sooner or later and bad mouthing-making excuses is not going to do his future any good. His one-handed salute smoking the rear tyre on his way to winning Phillip Is in 2006 was the last time Melandri impressed me...

Wow, I'm so pleased after that race!

Stoner - Looked good all weekend, but is he starting this season like he ended 2008?

Rossi - Rossi did what Rossi does best, enough said

Lorenzo - Rode very well, if rather unexciting

Dovi - Surprise of the race (along with the Honda) for me, 8/10!

Hayden - SO pleased he seems to be comfortable on the GP10 and up there, gutted he missed a podium but if he is on that form for the rest of 2010 i'll be ecstatic

Spies - Brilliant ride!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (johnny @ Apr 12 2010, 03:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Wot a race totally sickened for Casey and Loris. Great job to all top ten. Spies really impressed. Give Spies Lorenzos M1, give Pedders Rcv to someone who can ride it like Lorenzo he rode a real smart and patient race. Thank you Budda for Motogp

yeah, like de Puniet

Some considerations "the day after":

Stoner: He should learn from Rossi and race to win, not to humiliate the rivals! Then he'll be Rossi's natural heir, the talent is all there.

Hayden: the real revelation of this race, together with Dovi and Spies. He made the best passes of the race. But Dovi stole the podium from him thanks to the powerful engine of his Honda (and the silly idea of Losail track engineers of putting the finish line so far from the last corner! Nonsense )

Lorenzo: I find him matured, and his last passes on Hayden and Dovi were impeccable. Quietly, he's arrived just one second behind Rossi. A perfect race in his condition.

Rossi: A good day at the office, and he surely knows how to win whenever he can. This one looked easy for him, but was actually very tight

Pedrosa: if he does that kind of quick acts also with girls, only to die out in 5 minutes, no wonder he is still single

Randy: Good solid ride from him. Bravo.

Aoyama: Best rookie, but... has he grown fat during the winter?!

Simoncelli: at least he finished the race. 11th may look good, but let us not forget only 13 riders finished the race

Melandri: I'm afraid he's done in MotoGP. A casualty of the 800cc, Bridgestone and electronics.

Yamaha: we are all repeating it is the best bike, but is it really still, in 2010? Hmmm. It has two (actually 3 now) of the very best riders, that helps a lot in looking good... But so much slower than Ducati and Honda, it can't be good

Honda: Turns out to be a very fast and effective race machine. In the hands of Stoner, Lorenzo or Rossi, this bike could already win races. With Dovi and Pedro it could take some more time

Ducati: same as above, only more. A strong candidate to be the best bike of 2010, imho. Assuming the new engine is also reliable. Very encouraging for prospect new riders...

Suzuki: faster than Yamaha! Still traction problems though.

Three really top notch races. I enjoyed them all immensely. Rossi, Spies, Dovi, Hayden, Lorenzo - all great rides. Stoner - a return to type? Pedrosa - as someone else, moto2 here he comes, perhaps?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Mick D @ Apr 12 2010, 09:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda: 6th.
“All the weekend I was up there and I am very satisfied about this result. My start was not that bad, but with a bit of traffic I have got a little bit pushed out in the first corner. After that I lapped a smart race as my pace on race trim was really good like the top guys. At five laps to go we were five seconds behind the leader, which is incredible for us as a satellite team. The hard work we have made in the winter and the long run we have been made adjusting the race map have helped us to get this positive result in the first round of the season.”

Maybe you can pass this this tidbit of race craft on to Casey!!!! LOL
Stoner said he was backing off; I still haven't seen the race, but the reputed drop in lap time immediately before his off would seem to belie this. In general though other than the 2 races after laguna 2008 but including his actual mistake at ls 2008 he seems if anything more likely to put the bike down when not at maximum warp. In 2007 in the occasional races where he rode conservatively he looked more ragged to me.

(EDIT) Alternatively, it should also be remembered that his 3 qatar wins were all in day races, including last year. So perhaps the issue was again pushing too hard on cold tyres, or tyres colder than they would be during the day anyway.

How did the cameras miss this?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (J4rn0 @ Apr 12 2010, 11:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Rossi: A good day at the office, and he surely knows how to win whenever he can. This one looked easy for him, but was actually very tight
If he really does have power and fuel economy issues the engine rule will increase the difficulty of overcoming such problems unless events transpire such that it needs to be put aside which may not be all that unlikely.

It was not unknown for him to win by such margins earlier in his career when he had plenty in reserve though. Did his bike actually physically cut out? It seems uncharacteristic for him to volunteer to ducati that he has such issues as he did even before the race in a gpone interview. No-one disputes that he is a crafty fox, however.

Rossi seems to always have traction problems at Qatar. The m1 was the perfect race bike-stopping on the cool down lap!

I don't believe the yamaha's is down on power at all. IMO the teams are preserving and worried about fuel consumption-and rightly so!! The m1 was tuned down for sure, they still have some bugs to sort through yet......

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Goatboy @ Apr 12 2010, 08:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>

How did the cameras miss this?
This is a great representation of the stunning pr success of dornas fuel regs!!! .

Was the scooter at least a Yamaha? They derserve some promo into parc ferme

Great race, my heart was pounding those last laps. Knew that Dovi was gonna smoke Hayden to the line. Pity, really was pulling for Nicky.

Me thinks that engine reliabililty could be a factor later on. The Honda seems silly fast compared to the other bikes. 6 engines......

Great racing,lots of swapping about etc,really surprised me!.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (michaelm @ Apr 12 2010, 11:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Stoner said he was backing off; I still haven't seen the race, but the reputed drop in lap time immediately before his off would seem to belie this. In general though other than the 2 races after laguna 2008 but including his actual mistake at ls 2008 he seems if anything more likely to put the bike down when not at maximum warp. In 2007 in the occasional races where he rode conservatively he looked more ragged to me.
Somehow he manage to set the fastet first sector time on the lap when he crashed into sector two so i don't think he was really backing off, to me it looks like he pushed too hard too early when grip level wasn't there compare to last couple of nights.

16th Casey STONER Ducati Marlboro Team AUS
1 2'04.701 31.957 31.465 29.080 32.199
2 1'56.580 25.549 30.217 28.658 32.156 321.6
3 1'56.008 25.268 30.057 28.521 32.162 322.3
4 1'56.138 25.360 30.082 28.519 32.177 317.5
5 1'55.537 25.145 29.979 28.403 32.010 317.1
unfinished 25.120 317.4

I picked two out of three in the predictions! Must have been good odds on that seeing as I was in a very small group with the fiat boys as a one-two.

Silliy things these odds

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (inam @ Apr 12 2010, 11:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Somehow he manage to set the fastet first sector time on the lap when he crashed into sector two so i don't think he was really backing off, to me it looks like he pushed too hard too early when grip level wasn't there compare to last couple of nights.

16th Casey STONER Ducati Marlboro Team AUS
1 2'04.701 31.957 31.465 29.080 32.199
2 1'56.580 25.549 30.217 28.658 32.156 321.6
3 1'56.008 25.268 30.057 28.521 32.162 322.3
4 1'56.138 25.360 30.082 28.519 32.177 317.5
5 1'55.537 25.145 29.979 28.403 32.010 317.1
unfinished 25.120 317.4
I don't disagree, and did edit my post before I saw yours.